Recently there was a seminar promoted by the Vatican and the Chinese architect, Kongjian Yu, presented a solution, already used in his country for decades, based on nature itself, with the planting of vegetation that absorbs rainwater and porous concrete. The concept is known as Sponge Cities.

An applied research project in Scotland involving the use of earth observation science (EOS) in multiple water applications was just one of many highlights of  BlueTech Forum 2024 for Paul O’Callaghan, chief executive of BlueTech Research.  

Sponge City is a response to the failing modern concrete and steel stormwater management systems especially during heavy unexpected rains. Sponge City is an alternative resilient stormwater management approach that was conceived as early as the 1970s by Peter Cook but was shaped by the constant efforts of the Beijing-based landscape architect Dr.Kongjian Yu and gained popularity when applied by the Chinese government in 2013.

O evento, que atraiu mais de 500 participantes, contou com a presença de inúmeros especialistas e líderes internacionais na área da sustentabilidade urbana, proporcionando uma plataforma de discussão e inovação para o futuro das cidades.

Professor Yu leads the College of Architecture & Landscape Architecture at Peking University and is founder of Turenscape, a company specialising in the creation of urban infrastructure that soaks up stormwater and opens up nature-rich green spaces. He is also an important voice in a powerful new film about humanity’s relationship with water – Our Blue World, and BlueTech Forum 2024 will open with the European premiere of this documentary.

Completa nesta quarta-feira (29) um mês desde que o Rio Grande do Sul foi afetado por uma tragédia climática causada pela chuva, que deixou mortos, milhares de desabrigados e desalojados e um rastro de destruição que corta os quatro cantos do estado.

El líder mundial en Urbanismo Ecológico, el Doctor Kongjian Yu, visitó, a finales de noviembre, la Ciudad de México. Como parte de su importante agenda, la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana tuvo el honor de recibirlo en el Auditorio Arq. Pedro Ramírez Vázquez de la Rectoría General, donde tuvimos la oportunidad de estar presentes en su conferencia magistral: Metodología de los Patrones Estratégicos de Seguridad y Eco-Ciudades: Experiencias del Urbanismo Ecológico en China y en el mundo.

A tragédia do Rio Grande do Sul trouxe, como é comum, muitas opiniões e também muitos palpites. Opiniões de quem tem ligações com os assuntos pertinentes e palpites de especialistas de ocasião. Tudo faz parte do jogo.