Sponge cities as a water management alternative for Mexico City, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico City): The implementation of the sponge city concept represents a viable alternative for addressing the water challenges facing Mexico City. The model is designed to optimize water management through natural solutions and seeks to reduce the sole reliance on gray infrastructure, such as pipes, ducts and concrete walls, that has characterized traditional urban development.
The sponge city concept was created by Chinese architect, landscape designer and urban planner Kongjian Yu 40 years ago. The model proposes that cities function as natural sponges through wetlands, green roofs, flood parks and permeable pavements that absorb, filter and reuse rainwater.
The proposal gains relevance in light of the water paradox facing the capital. While during periods such as Holy Week the city experiences supply problems, during the rainy season the current infrastructure proves insufficient to manage the volumes of water.
Cities worldwide have adopted strategies based on this approach to mitigate risks and improve urban sustainability. China integrated the concept into national policy starting in 2013.
In Europe, Copenhagen implemented its Cloudburst Management Plan after a 2011 flood, designed specifically to handle intense and unexpected rainfall. Berlin has for years applied strategies under the concept of urban bioretention.
In Spain, the city of Alicante is noted for La Marjal flood park, a space capable of capturing 45,000 cubic meters of water during a spontaneous incident. In Latin America, San Salvador has devoted resources to restoring periurban coffee plantations, transforming them into water infiltration sites and creating green infrastructure.
For the Mexican capital, the concept is not unfamiliar, as there is a historical precedent in the work of Dr. Nabor Carrillo.
During the 1920s and 1930s, a system of dams was established in the Ajusco and Cruces mountain ranges. The objective was to retain water in the mountains to allow its infiltration into the aquifer, avoiding the large flows that cause flooding in Mexico City.
Overexploitation of the aquifer has direct consequences for soil stability. When water is extracted, the clays that make up the subsoil contract, causing the city to sink.
Adopting alternatives to conventional infrastructure could, in addition to improving rainwater capture, address structural problems facing the capital.
“I wish we had the capacity to open our eyes and see these possibilities, that it is not all pipes, aqueducts and concrete walls, but that there are other alternatives. Sponge cities are one; I wish we had the capacity to open our eyes and see these possibilities.”
