SPONGE CITY OF TOMORROW: A DEMONSTRATOR FOR CLIMATE-RESILIENT CITIES

Together with Circle Drees & Sommer presented a “Sponge City” demonstrator at the Circle Cube in Offenbach. In discussions with representatives from politics, business, and government, the focus was on solutions for climate adaptation, sustainable water management, and climate-resilient urban development.

Guests included Kaweh Mansoori, Hessian Minister for Economic Affairs, Energy, Transportation, Housing, and Rural Affairs; Helena Wolf, City Councilmember and Head of the Environment Department for the City of Offenbach and Nadine Gersberg, Member of the State Parliament.

Climate Adaptation as a shared responsibility

Increasing heat waves, droughts, and heavy rainfall events pose new challenges for cities. The “Sponge City” principle therefore focuses on storing rainwater locally, allowing it to infiltrate the ground or making it usable during dry periods.

This results in:

• reduced strain on sewer systems,
• reduced urban heat island effects,
• and strengthened natural water cycles. 

Making Connections Visible

The demonstrator developed by Drees & Sommer and Circle illustrates how cities, agriculture, forests, and water bodies interact. It shows how various measures contribute to sustainable water management and climate-resilient urban development - from planning through to operation.

Dialogue Between Business, Government, and Politics

In addition to the presentation of the demonstrator, the focus was on the exchange between business, government, and politics. Participants discussed together how existing approaches to climate adaptation and circular construction can be put into practice.

Outlook

The approaches presented show that solutions for climate adaptation and sustainable water management are available. The key now is to further develop them collaboratively, test them in pilot projects and then scale them up so that cities can become climate-resilient sponge cities.

Further information on the topics of sponge cities and climate adaptation can be found here: Urban Water Management