SPONGE CITY

The city of Winterthur is aware that climate change will confront Swiss cities with numerous challenges in the coming years. A promising principle to locally mitigate the effects of climate change is the principle of the sponge city.

The Sponge City project mandate addresses a large number of measure points of the Urban Climate Framework Plan and the policy paper "Adapting the City of Winterthur to Climate Change". The impact of the measures is assessed on the basis of the three dimensions of a sponge city:

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• Restoration of a near-natural water cycle

• Contribution to adaptation to climate change impacts such as heat mitigation

• Promotion of biodiversity conservation

An important component of the Sponge City principle is the unsealing of the surface. The infiltration of rainwater brings several advantages: The absorbed water provides cooling for the surrounding area and heavy precipitation is buffered. The water stored in green spaces or water bodies can be reused as needed. Heat events and possibly also heavy precipitation will occur more frequently in the coming years, which is why decisive and timely action is required.

CLB Switzerland was commissioned by the city council to develop a matrix of measures.

Would you like to know more about the project or about implementation measures for sponge cities in general?

Then write to us today!