Flooding is a problem in almost all major cities. Climate change has brought a trend of increased heavy rains. The need to solve this problem has become even greater. For this reason, “sponge cities” are being created, that is, spaces in cities designed to prevent flooding. In March, Arup, an environmental consultancy, published a report called “Global Sponge Cities Snapshot” about the best sponge cities in the world.

Artificial intelligence and satellites were used to analyze cities. Auckland, New Zealand came in first, followed by Nairobi, Kenya. Singapore (a city-state in Asia), Mumbai, India, and New York, United States, tied for third place. No Brazilian city made the list.

Source

The sponge city concept was implemented on a massive scale after a flood in 2012 killed close to 80 people in Beijing, China. Chinese urban planner Yu Kongjian was one of those responsible for developing creative solutions to prevent flooding. Here are some of them:

Permeable Pavement: The concrete is full of holes. This way, water seeps into the ground without sewers needing to be installed.

Green Roof: Technique in which a garden is planted on the roof of the building to absorb rainwater.

Pool Park: Large empty pools are scattered around the city to hold rainwater. They also act as a sports court and recreation area.

Sources: Arch Daily, Arup, BBC, CNN, DW, G1, and Instituto de Engenharia Brasileira

Questions

1) Which sponge city was elected the best according to the study?
a) Sao Paulo
b) Auckland
c) Mumbai
d) New York

2) What happens in your city when it rains a lot?

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