Arup has raised concerns about London’s natural ability to deal with increasing amounts of rainwater as in a study looking at seven global cities, Arup ranked London as the least ‘sponge-like’ due to its lack of blue and green infrastructure.
image: © User:Colin and Kim Hansen / Wikimedia
… green and blue infrastructure….holds the key to….impacts of climate change…
New Civil Engineer writes:
Arup’s report concludes that green and blue infrastructure – such as parks, gardens, ponds and lakes – holds the key to cities’ ability to manage heavy rainfall and other impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat events.
It comes after London was hit with severe flooding in the past 12 months…
Arup’s survey gives London a “sponge” rating of just 22% – far behind Auckland, which ranks top with 35%.
The survey looked at a sample of approximately 150km2 in seven diverse global cities – Auckland, London, Mumbai, Nairobi, New York, Shanghai and Singapore – to assess how well their existing natural infrastructure helps them absorb rainfall….
To create the calculations, Arup’s team used an advanced digital tool, Terrain, which applies machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to accurately quantify the amount of green infrastructure (e.g. grass, trees) and blue (e.g. ponds, lakes), versus the amount of grey (e.g. buildings and hard surfaces). The survey was based on detailed satellite imagery covering a snapshot of approximately 150 square kilometres of each city’s main urban centre.
Sponge rankings
- Auckland – 35% spongy
- Nairobi – 34% spongy
- Singapore – 30% spongy
- Mumbai – 30% spongy
- New York – 30% spongy
- Shanghai – 28% spongy
- London – 22% spongy…
