Extreme weather events are rising in both frequency and severity across Southeast Asia, aggravating urban flooding in major megacities. Problems stem from outdated infrastructure, rapid urbanization, impermeable surfaces, low-lying coastal locations, and drainage systems unable to cope with intense precipitation. In China, the concept of “sponge cities”—urban design that emphasizes absorption, retention, infiltration, and purification of rainwater via green roofs, permeable pavements, wetlands, ...

In July 2012, a massive flash flood struck Beijing as rainfall in the Chinese capital caused the nearby Juma River to overflow its banks. In less than 24 hours, nearly 60,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes and 79 people died. Damages to the city were estimated at around $1.6 billion.

Sponge City and Sponge Planet

The 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, held from September 18 to October 19, 2025, focuses on the future of cities amid climate and social challenges. The Biennial features leading global architects, including Professor Kongjian Yu, renowned for his Sponge City and Sponge Planet concepts, advocating nature-based solutions for urban flood management and climate resilience. It presents over 200 projects, plans, and installations from Brazil and more than 25 countries, including ex...

At the opening of the international conference, Chinese landscape architect and urban planner Kongjian Yu underscored the significance of the “sponge city” concept. He argued that in the face of extreme weather and flood risks, traditional grey infrastructure—such as concrete drainage systems and flood walls—lacks resilience and adaptability. Instead, nature-based “sponge cities” employ ecological infrastructure—wetlands, parks, permeable paving, rain gardens, green roofs—to absorb, store, and n...

Kongjian Yu, laureate of the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize, is the global champion of “sponge cities.” His vision integrates wetlands, permeable surfaces, and green infrastructure into urban planning to mitigate flooding and build resilience. At Soak It Up: Los Angeles, Yu will share how sponge cities—adopted as national policy in China—offer nature-based solutions for climate-driven flooding. With Measure W positioning Los Angeles as a “Water First” city, Y...

At the 2025 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Professional Awards, the design team led by Professor Kongjian Yu of Peking University stood out among 463 global submissions with two acclaimed projects. Nanchang Fish Tail Park received the Award of Excellence in General Design, recognized as a model of nature-based ecological restoration and vibrant public space creation, while Haikou Meishe River Fengxiang Park won the Honor Award in Urban Design for its innovative contribution to u...

Whether its dams, drains, aqueducts or seawalls, much of the modern world was built on the idea that we can control water. But concrete infrastructure around the world is failing amid unpredictable and often extreme levels of precipitation. Inspired by ancient monsoon cities, landscape architect Kongjian Yu says the solution lies in working with water and using nature as a sponge.

2025 is once again predicted to be one of the hottest years on record. Climate change has seen high temperatures, drought conditions and forest fires flaring up across the globe. Elsewhere flash floods and huge storms are destroying the landscape. So as countries like the United States roll back on environmental laws, who's now taking charge of the fight to save the planet? And where is new technology being developed to tackle extreme weather? To find out, on this edition of The Agenda, Juliet M...

The project is located in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. One hundred years ago, the Zhongshan Bridge, designed by an American bridge company and built by the German Tailai Trading Company with Chinese craftsmen, became the first bridge in modern Chinese history built with foreign technology introduced to Lanzhou, Gansu, and the entire northwest region. One century later, there should stand a pedestrian bridge across the Yellow River independently designed, constructed, and built by the Chinese, s...