Professor Kongjian Yu is the founder and principal designer of Turenscape, which Fast Company named one of the 10 Most Innovative Architecture Companies of 2021 for its work in “balancing China’s hyperspeed urbanisation with green sponge cities”. An often-outspoken voice in the world of landscape architecture and urbanism, Professor Yu has been heralded by Michael Sorkin as “a hero of effective advocacy within a system fraught with perils.”

The effects of global climate change are likely to worsen an already fragile environment. The predicted more frequent extreme weather conditions can be expected to cause devastating damage to vulnerable African populations as severe floods, drought, and disease threaten people's survival and security. The conventional and expensive, irreversible grey infrastructure that supports development in the Global North is unlikely to adapt to the extreme climate situations that many African cities face. ...

Two recent articles in the American media — one from The New York Times and another from The Christian Science Monitor — raised questions about the efficacy of China’s sponge city concept in the face of climate change.

The talk will follow the author Kongjian Yu to explore a low maintenance approach to create a green wall and productive roof at his own home and beyond.

The ecological urban planner Kongjian Yu believes that the urban model of gray cities, which prioritizes the use of cars and expels water from the basin, can be transformed into sponge cities .

Project Overview Guangzhou, the "southern gateway" of China and the political, economic, and cultural center of Guangdong Province, is situated in a transition zone between the Yuezhong low mountains and the Pearl River Delta. The city is characterized by heavy rainfall with uneven temporal and spatial distribution, dense water networks, heavy clay soils, and high groundwater levels. Under specific natural geographic conditions and rapid urbanization, Guangzhou faces frequent urban floo...

1. Project Overview Luoyang is an ancient and significant capital city in China, characterized by an extensive network of rivers and rich cultural heritage. In response to the national call for the construction of sponge cities, and to ensure urban ecological safety, alleviate urban flooding, and highlight regional cultural characteristics, the goal is to create a cultural sponge city that integrates "four waters converging into the city, and the city blending with water." The project...

1、项目概述 项目位于浙江省金华市，包括义乌、金华、兰溪三个城市。项目针对金华江流域降雨集中，丘陵地形雨水易汇集产生内涝问题,提出“海绵城市”规划理念，使得城市能在适应环境变化和应对自然灾害等方面具有良好的“弹性”，下雨时吸水、蓄水、渗水、净水，需要时将蓄存的雨水“释放”并加以利用，实现雨水由“快速排除”、“末端集中”、“收纳治污”向“慢排缓释”、“源头分散”、“自然净化”转变。 规划以构建金华江流域海绵城市自然生态空间格局，通过上中下游联动，协同改善水生态、水环境、水资源、水安全四个方面的问题，充分发挥城市水体、绿地、道路、广场、小区对雨水的渗透、吸纳和净化作用。 2、目标与挑战 2.1问题与挑战 挑战一：上游的义乌，山田多，建设用地紧张；水资源紧缺，内涝、水污染严重，人水关系背离。 挑战二：中游的金华，城市发展较快速，硬化地面较多，雨水难以下渗，年径流总量控制率较低（仅42%）；同时丘陵地形，水较易汇集形成内涝问题。 挑战三：下游的兰溪，客水众多。兰溪市境内河流主要由“三江五溪”组成。洪水来袭时，衢江和金华江两条大江来水众多，导致城...