{"id":10844,"date":"2026-07-08T22:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/?p=10844"},"modified":"2026-07-08T22:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:34:13","slug":"how-the-sponge-city-concept-can-help-southeast-asian-cities-weather-the-storms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/2026\/07\/08\/how-the-sponge-city-concept-can-help-southeast-asian-cities-weather-the-storms\/","title":{"rendered":"How the sponge city concept can help Southeast Asian cities weather the storms"},"content":{"rendered":"

2025 was a devastating year for cities in Southeast Asia, which continue to face the worsening effects of the climate emergency. <\/span>The year’s typhoon season<\/strong><\/span><\/a> claimed more than 2,000 lives, displaced millions of people, and caused over USD 20-billion in damages across the region. This 2026, as a stronger El Ni\u00f1o threatens Southeast Asia with even more extreme heat and drought, the region also braces for what follows: more devastating super typhoons, heavier localized rainfall, more frequent flash floods, growing pressure on already-stretched urban flood management systems, and ironically, even water shortages.<\/span><\/p>\n

One approach that could help address these risks is the \u201csponge city.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This nature-based urban planning intervention originated in China as a way for urban areas to better absorb, store, and reuse rainwater where it falls, rather than rapidly channeling rain through conventional concrete drainage and waterways. It integrates green-grey solutions into the urban landscape, allowing cities to function more like forests and wetlands: slowing, absorbing, filtering, and storing rainwater instead of immediately flushing it away.<\/span><\/p>\n

In practice, sponge cities combine various solutions to better manage rainwater. Permeable pavements, rain gardens, and bioswales allow rain to seep into the groundwater table rather than cascade into drains. Constructed wetlands and retention ponds temporarily store excess water while naturally removing pollutants and serving as habitats for wildlife . Green roofs, street trees, and urban forests cool surrounding neighborhoods. Rainwater harvesting systems enable cities to more directly capture and reuse water for irrigation, urban hygiene, and other non-potable uses.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to treating water as a harvestable resource, sponge cities also reduce urban heat islands, improve public spaces, and provide additional green spaces for community recreation.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The concept is particularly relevant for Southeast Asia, where rapid urbanization has often replaced natural floodplains with impermeable surfaces that prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground and increase surface runoff. The region averages a <\/span>50% urbanization rate<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, with countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand seeing the most rapid urban growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

As cities continue to expand and as climate hazards worsen, the question is no longer whether Southeast Asia needs more flood infrastructure. It is whether cities in the region can redesign themselves to work with water rather than against it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2025 was a devastating year for cities in Southeast Asia, which continue to face the worsening effects of the climate emergency. The year’s typhoon season claimed more than 2,000 lives, displaced millions of people, and caused over USD 20-billion in damages across the region. This 2026, as a stronger El Ni\u00f1o threatens Southeast Asia with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,51],"tags":[3408,380,368,406,1010,1317,3415,3411,3405,3404,2537,3412,161,756,327,2002,3416,3410,2696,2535,3339,162,3414,3402,3403,3406,561,2571,3417,3407,3413,2235,2066,1388,2533,3409],"class_list":["post-10844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-news","category-news","tag-blue-green-infrastructure","tag-cities-with-nature","tag-climate-action","tag-climate-adaptation","tag-climate-emergency","tag-climate-resilience","tag-climate-resilient-infrastructure","tag-constructed-wetlands","tag-flood-management","tag-flood-resilience","tag-green-infrastructure","tag-green-roofs","tag-iclei","tag-iclei-southeast-asia","tag-local-governments","tag-nature-based-solutions","tag-nature-positive-cities","tag-permeable-pavements","tag-rainwater-harvesting","tag-resilient-cities","tag-resilient-urban-development","tag-southeast-asia","tag-southeast-asian-cities","tag-sponge-cities","tag-sponge-city-concept","tag-stormwater-management","tag-sustainable-cities","tag-sustainable-urban-development","tag-urban-climate-adaptation","tag-urban-flooding","tag-urban-forests","tag-urban-planning","tag-urban-resilience","tag-urban-sustainability","tag-water-security","tag-water-sensitive-urban-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10890,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10844\/revisions\/10890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}