Urban planning and landscape architect Professor Kongjian Yu has put forward an innovative and eco-friendly option for flood mitigation. It involves transforming our cities into ‘sponges’ to absorb overflowing waterways and prevent threats presented by extreme flooding.

Sponge cities utilise natural wetlands to passively absorb, clean and use rainfall in an ecologically friendly way that reduces dangerous and polluted runoff into urban streets.

Kongjian Yu and Turenscape Design Institute create an urban riverside wetland landscape park, emphasizing ‘flooding as a friend’ while preserving Buddhist culture

This year marks the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, who is considered the founder of the profession of landscape architecture. Do his ideas still matter in today’s rapidly urbanizing world? Jayne Miller, chair of World Urban Parks, asked global landscape architects and park leaders to weigh in during the latest online conversation organized by Olmsted 200.

The godfather of the "sponge cities" concept is Peking University landscape architecture professor Yu Kongjian, who almost drowned in a flooded river as a child, but managed to pull himself to safety by grabbing hold of the willow branches and reeds that fringed its banks. In 2013, as an urban designer, he proposed that cities use nature rather than concrete to slow down heavy rain – an idea now being implemented in cities across China and gaining attention around the world.

As many as 410 million people could be vulnerable to rising sea levels by the end of the century. Rising sea levels this century could cost as much as $5.5 trillion, according to the OECD. From China to Senegal, countries are coming up with innovations including floating cities, and sponge cities, to adapt to climate change and protect people and property from flooding.

In the lead-up to The Park People Conference, taking place September 21-23, 2022, Park People met with Kongjian Yu. Kongjian is a landscape architect at Peking University and founder of the firm Turenscape. Turenscape is one of the first and largest private architecture, landscape architecture and urban design firms in China. The Chinese government applies Kongjian’s pioneering research on ecological security patterns and sponge cities to guide its nationwide ecological protection and restoratio...

1.Project Introduction Haikou Jiangdong Coastal park is the first completed project of Jiangdong New Area, which was originally Haikou Jiangdong New Area tidal breakwater of China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone and ecological restoration project of coastal line (starting section). China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, which refers to as "Hainan Free Trade Zone", and it is also known as "Hainan Free Trade Port".In 2018, President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China made the signi...

1.Project Introduction Haikou Jiangdong Coastal park is the first completed project of Jiangdong New Area, which was originally Haikou Jiangdong New Area tidal breakwater of China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone and ecological restoration project of coastal line (starting section). China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, which refers to as "Hainan Free Trade Zone", and it is also known as "Hainan Free Trade Port".In 2018, President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China made the signi...