The Sponge City: Planning, Design and Political Design

Abstract

‘Sponge city’ is a relatively new term loosely defined as using natural landscapes to catch, store and clean water, but the concept has roots that run far back through the history of human adaptation to climate challenges, particularly in the monsoon world. Several projects at different scales on China's Hainan Island illustrate how Turenscape has turned sponge city thinking into real, on-the-ground results. Taking advantage of the top-down political system, the authors gave six major presentations on the sponge city concept and ecological restoration that were made mandatory for government officials of all ranks on Hainan Island; altogether, more than 3,000 officials attended. The Meishe River corridor reconstruction was an important demonstration of such a drainage-based project in Haikou City. The shift from grey infrastructure to green is challenging traditional design practices technically, aesthetically and ethically.