This document discusses making cities more "spongy" to better manage stormwater and flooding. It defines a spongy city as one planned and designed to retain, clean, and reuse stormwater using various techniques. The principles of spongy cities are to retain rather than drain rainwater and focus on effective water management by absorbing water during plenty and supplying it during deficits. Essentials for spongy cities include creating open green spaces, promoting green roofs/walls, adopting porous designs, and using nature-based solutions. Challenges include high land costs, restrictive development norms, and lack of awareness; smart technologies can help address some challenges by identifying flood-prone areas and mapping water systems.

1. Ar. J.K.GUPTA,
Email---- jit.kumar1944@gmail.com, Mob- 90410-26414
Issues and Options for
Making Cities Spongy

2. Cities and their Context
• Cities have been part of human history.
• - Cities- known to command power and authority
• Cities -- known for their dualities and contradictions.
• Cities- known for both -- positivities and negativities
• Cities -- known to be areas of concentration of population/ activities,
infrastructures, services, healthcare, education
• Cities -- known to be Engines of economic growth-70%
• Cities - generators of employment , wealth and prosperity,
• Cities – also known for their negativities,
• Cities – large consumers of resources/energy/ water/ land
• Cities- generators of 70% waste;-- consume 60% global energy -
generating 70% of carbon footprints
• --98% /56% cities in low& middle/high income economies - do not meet
air quality WHO norms Cities- remain a manmade , mechanical habitat
• Cities- destroy natural habitat-anti-thesis to bio-diversity
• Cities- known to be creator of worst living conditions
• cities – house both large number of poor

3. Cities and their Context
• Cities- home to large migrants
• Cities- home to slums and poverty
• Cities- remain in crisis- both -natural and manmade
• Crisis-- of population, poverty, pollution , water, flooding,
fire & earthquake
• Cities – ever evolving , devolving, never static, never finite
• Cities – will remain dominant in future
• Cities- will remain drivers/definers of nation’s future
• Cities- will largely be responsible for climate change,
,global warming, disasters, flooding etc.
• Looking at the emerging challenges -city planning,
development management - needs rationalization- to make
them -- safe against crime/disasters, bio-diverse;
productive, effective, efficient, humane,- livable, inclusive,
Resilient sustainable, Healthy place

4. Global Context of Cities

6. Indian
Urbanization&
Challenges
Faced by Indian
Cities

7. Population Scenario- India-2011
• Population of India reached
• 250 million in 1919
• 500 million in 1966 (47 yrs. Later)
• 1000 million in 2000 ( 34 yrs. Later)
• 1027 million in 2001 (1yr Later)
• 1210 million in 2011 (10 yrs. Later)
• 2050- Indian population- 1600 mil. -- 50% in Urban India.
• Metropolitan Centres -5 (1951)- -53 (2011)-68(2031)
• 10 m plus- nil (1951)- 3 (2011) -7 (2031)-9 (2051)
• Urban India --first time added more persons(91m) than Rural
India(90m)in last decade
• During last 100 years, India witnessed—
- -Urbanization level going up by 3 times
- --Urban settlements growing merely 4 times
- --Total Population multiplying 5 times
- -Urban population increasing 15 times and
- -Rural population increasing 3.5 times
massive shift of population -not simply a shift of demographics
• Shift places cities/towns at centre of India’s development
• Increased population requires --More cities, More housing,
More educational/ healthcare/ institutions
• More commercial space ,More transportation– More
infrastructure– more Resources- more water

8. Urbanization-issues
• Urban centers :
 Poorly planned, developed managed and governed.
 Unable to meet challenges of urban dynamism
 Haphazard /Unplanned pattern of development.
 Enormous growth of slums
• Poor quality of life
• largely unhealthy-House large polluting gases of NO, O3,
Co2,SO2 suspended particulate
• -98% cities in low& low/middle countries / 56% in high
income economies do not meet air quality –WHO norms
• 6 million people died -due to air pollution-2019-20
• Cities Remain unsafe
• Cities -- Remain water stressed
• Unable to meet basic needs of
• -Shelter
• --Services /Infrastructures
• --Sanitation

9. Urbanization-issues
• Cities--Have acute shortage of green spaces
• Create large heat island- leading to temperature rise
of 2-4 degree during day and up to 10 C at night
• Perpetually suffering from problems of traffic and
transportation
• Promoting exclusion
• Creating dichotomy between rich and poor
• Remain unsustainable- largely dependent on rural
hinterland for day to day needs
• Remain polluter of environment / destroyer of bio-
diversity
• Indian Urbanization rightly called :
 Urbanisation of water
 Urbanization of Population
 Urbanization of Poverty
 Urbanization of Pollution

10. Open Spaces

11. Challenges faced by Indian Cities- Flooding

12. Challenge of flooding of Indian cities

13. Urbanization-issues

14. Planning for
Future Cities

15. URBAN INDIA- 2030- Mckinsey Global Inst-
• India Urban Awakening :Building Inclusive Cities-
Report- April, 2010 -- by 2030:
• 590 m to live in Urban India- twice the US population
• 70% GDP generated by cities
• 80% Revenue generated by cities
• 4 fold increase in per capita income
• 5 times the number by which GDP would multiply
• 270 million net increase in working age group
• 70% of new jobs(170 mil) generated in cities
• 91 M urban households will be middle class-- up from 22 M
• 68 Cities will be Metropolises-Europe has 35 only
• $ 1.2T capital needed to meet projected infrastructure demand
• 700-900 million Sqmts of residential/ commercial area needed
annually- a new Chicago to be created
• 2.5 b Sqmts roads paved-20times created in last decade
• 7400km (350-400 km/year) of metro needed -20times created in last
decade
• 200 million Rural Indians to benefit-living close to top 70 cities
• 75%urban India to live in bottom segment -earning Rs 80 per day

16. Urban Planning
• For making cities safe places to live and work -urban planning in past
focused on concepts – revolving around promoting:
 Planned development
 Inclusive development
 Sustainable development
 Eco-friendly development
 Smart development
• Looking at solutions:
 Garden City
 Linear City
 Industrial City
 Vertical Cities
 Compact Cities
 Radiant Cities
 Spongy Cities
• City Planning needs to be leveraged to make cities Smart, cleaner,
greener & Sustainable,

17. SDG 11- Make cities and human settlements
inclusive ,safe, resilient and sustainable

19. Defining
Spongy
Cities

20. Defining Spongy City
• Sponge city is defined, ‘
• -An Urban Area which is ;
• planned, designed & constructed
• to effectively / efficiently manage /cope with
• challenges posed by excessive water/storm water
• caused by heavy rainfall, high tides , swollen rivers
or other manmade/ natural activities,
• using a variety of techniques.
• Sponge city is designed to
• -- retain
• -- clean
• --reuse stormwater.

21. Why Build Spongy Cities.
• India urbanizing rapidly
• Every third Indian living in cities- 2011
• Every Second Indian will be urbanite-2050
• India aiming at becoming 5 Trillion economy by 2026
• Another Urban India added in next 30 years
• India holds only 4% global water to support 17.6% human/ 559 million -
world largest animal population.
• India holding 2.4% global land and 17.6% population
• Cities require large built area- 700-900 million sqm annually
• new cities are mushrooming - old expanding in size / content
• open spaces converted into - buildings, roads, parking,
• Soft spaces becoming- hard pavements & hard surfaces,
• Open areas getting diluted marginalized, Climate change making
Cities flooded- impacting life, economy, property, social fabric
• Cities also largely depend upon ground water
• Large depletion of ground water resource
• Majority of cities facing water deficit- poor water supply
• Adversely impacting marginalized communities and quality of life
• Need to look/explore different options to source water
• Rain /storm water offers best option to make cities water self-reliant

22. Principles of
Spongy
Cities
operations

23. Sponge city- Operation
• Spongy Cities-
• -Operate on principle of Retaining not draining rain water
• - focuses on water ;-- its effective / efficient management
• -Retaining excess water within city aquifer
• Absorbing water during period of plenty
• Supplying water during period of deficit/high demand
• -- saving human lives & property from
• -- threat posed & damage caused by excess water.
• --without impacting city operation/ function/ challenge
posed
• -- creating different planning and development options
-- by working across different disciplines-
hydrology, landscape, architecture, planning / engineering,

24. Sponge city approach
• Sponge city approach is visioned to;
• create ability/capacity in cities to—
• - Catch rainwater where it falls and when it falls
• absorb large amount of surplus water without flooding
city
• - empowering cities to mitigate /prevent flooding by
providing options in terms of;
• - making cities porous
• -- creating network of urban/open spaces –at city /sub-city/
Neighborhood/ Community /local levels
• -creating water bodies,
• promoting porous parking,
• investing in rainwater harvesting
• ground water recharging ,

25. Today Curitiba boasts > 50 sq metres of green space
per person. Buenos Aires’s two sq meters / person

27. Essentials &
Options for
Making Cities
Spongy

28. Essentials for Making Cities Spongy
 Creating Contiguous open green spaces
 Promoting Green roofs and Green walls;
 Adopting Porous design
• Educating stakeholders and involving communities
• Allocating adequate resources/funds
• Involving elected representatives /NGOs /CBOs
• Retrofitting/reclaiming Old water related structures;
• Using nature based options/solutions
• Undertaking a detailed land suitability analysis
• Creating green zones under HT lines
• Using no-construction zones for large plantation
• Promoting concept of city forests

29. Planning Spongy Cities
 Adopting a Regional approach to water management- integrating urban water
system with rural setting/agriculture-
 Making water management, integral part of planning process- Master
plans/Development Plans/Zonal Plans.
 Creating large open spaces for maximizing water retention/minimizing carbon
footprints
 Minimizing extent/ area/ number of hard surfaces increasing extent of
absorbent space in cities.
 Supplementing open spaces with efficient channeling system
 creating sufficient storage systems within the city
 Using traditional wisdom and skill for collecting , storing and managing water
 Adopting nature based options/infrastructure to promote ground water
recharging / retaining surplus water for use of the community.
 Adopting pattern of landscaping which help promote porosity
 Revitalizing/developing derelict wetlands- into landscaped zone for absorbing
water
 working across different disciplines — hydrology, landscape, architecture,
planning and engineering,

30. Planning Spongy Cities
 Creating extensive Green( Vegetation) / Blue (water) network
• Promoting/incentivizing rooftop green spaces Green walls/green
surfaces
 Promoting ground water recharging, water storage and rain water
harvesting at /community/city/peri-urban areas
 Reviving/ Restoring/maintaining all existing water channels in urban
setting.
 Making roads/parking porous- using porous materials/ concrete
 Finding space/create options for storage of rain water- below road
roundabout
 Redefining landscaping / trees with large water absorbing capacity.
 Promoting urban forestry on large scale- to increase porosity of city.
 Redefining planning norms/building bye-laws to minimize building
footprints & increase porous area within buildings.
 Creating green areas within buildings to compensate area covered by
buildings
 Prescribing norms/standards for trees to be planted in
institutions/industry/parking

31. CO
BS
WO
RKING
LIVING
CIRCULATIO
N
• The Radiant City
•An organism capable of housing the
works of man of machine-age society.
• placed under the masterful
government of natural conditions:
•Sun
•Space
•Greenery
•And its mission is the service of
mankind:
•To live
•To work
•To cultivate body and spirit
•To travel about
(in this order and obeying this
hierarchy)

32. Planning Compact and Spongy Cities

33. Chandigarh Master Plan- Le Corbusier

35. Green Roof

36. Public housing --Singapore, seven 50-story towers
connected by 1,600-foot-recreational “sky garden.”
-- high-density development
accommodating growth in compact city-state.

37. Traffic Rotaries

38. Global- Tree Count

40. Curitiba's BRT corridors run along
high-density developed area

41. Advantages
of Cities
Spongy

42. Spongy Cities Benefits
• World Future Council- sponge cities helps in promoting ;
• Replenishing groundwater- ensuring local availability / accessibility of
water
• Increased supply of Cleaner groundwater;
 Greater water self-sufficiency -sourcing water within local boundaries
 lower environmental /health costs -- decrease in water pollution
 Reduction in flood risk ;more permeable spaces for natural retention/
percolation of water.
 Promoting resilience / ability of city to counter higher flood risks from
climate change
 Promoting Economy in drainage/treatment of waste water – smaller
drainage systems/ water treatment plant- due to reduced flow of
waste/polluted water,

43. Spongy Cities Benefits
 Lowering Urban Heat Island / urban temperature; -presence
of large green area
 Making Cities more Energy efficient;-- lower urban heat
island impact.
 Creating Greener, healthier, more enjoyable urban spaces;
 Promoting Enriched biodiversity- Open/ green spaces,
wetlands, parks, green belts- create large options for flora and
fauna - brings bio-diversity .
 Making cities Carbon Neutral; -siphoning off carbon; reducing
carbon footprints ; removing particulates from air.

44. Singapore-- Super trees in 250-acre Gardens by Bay.
-- High-tech structures range from 80 to 160 feet
-- collect solar energy to power a nightly light show.
-- trunks are vertical gardens, laced with more than 150,000 living plants.

46. TIANJIN- Master Plan
..
1. Land-use Planning –Making city compact—providing mix land
uses – promting Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
2.
2. Transport Planning -Green transport .—Large trips via public transport ;
bicycles and walking
3. Green and Blue Network Planning---extensive green (vegetation)
and blue (water) networks – for quality living /working environment.
4. Water bodies --linked for circulation – enhancing ecology , environment ,
recreational activities.
5. A wastewater pond -rehabilitated /transformed into a clean/beautiful lake.

47. Chulalongkorn University Centennial
Park- Bangkok-11acs

48. Central Park New York- 700 Acs Vaux and
Olmsted'

49. Challenges in Making Cities Spongy
• High Cost of urban land
• Focus on creating large built-up area/saleable area
• Low priority to creating green spaces
• Restrictive norms /bye-laws for providing open spaces
• Large scale metaling of available open spaces/roads
• Availability of less porous area in Cities;
• Focus on Drainage - not on Retaining water
• increasing intensity and frequency of urban flooding
• Lack of awareness on the part of officials/ communities
• Low availability of trees in urban setting
• Destruction of existing flora and fauna
• Using low lying area for urbanization
• Using water channels/bodies for urbanization/ dumping
garbage -Neglecting traditional system of water sourcing-
• High degree of encroachment of low lying-area by slums
• Non-involvement of Communities-

50. SMART
TECHNOLOGIES

51. - for identifying low lying areas,
- identifying existing water channels,
- identifying existing water bodies,
-Identifying areas of water bodies under
encroachment,
- options for creating water bodies,
-identifying/Protecting existing flora and
fauna
-identifying Areas prone to flooding
- Preparing/Amending Master Plans/ Development Plans
for meeting challenges of disasters
- -Using Surveillance Technology -- Using Drone
- Using Smartphone Technologies
- LIDAR Technology (Laser Imaging, Detection and Ranging
Map)
- Create digital topographical 3D mapping – evolving options for
protecting cities from flooding
- Using Flood Mapping technology- using
sensors for flood predicting location/intensity of next floods

52. Using Surveillance Technology

53. Using Smartphone Technologies

54. Flood Mapping

55. •
• Future Cities-Niti Ayog Report, September 2021 on
• -- ‘ Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India’—
• Cities of future- Planned, designed, developed /operated with nature
• Achieving agenda defined under SDG 11-
• making cities and communities-sustainable, safe, resilient/ inclusive
• - making optimum use of natural resources of sun, air and verdure.
• Planning cities to be zero-carbon/ net zero-energy,/net zero-water and net zero-waste
 Cities to be environment / community/human centric- involving communities
 Identifying/preserving /promoting existing flora, fauna vegetation/water resources
 Planning Compact cities-- Optimizing / minimizing use of land for urbanization -
Rationalizing land use norms -- using land 24 x7 x365-- building vertically; increasing
densities, using spaces below/above cities for urban purposes; limiting areas under
roads/parking;
 -Adopting principle of limited land and unlimited space
 Reordering- transportation made Green -- focus on minimizing travel/ travel demand
 Minimizing flooding- planning spongy cities/ increasing green spaces / blue spaces
 Minimizing waste-Planning Circular Economy Cities
 Promoting green built environment- Planning for safety
 Using best options of technologies – redefining planning tools/MP/DP
 Redefining Planning education- having more quality planning professionals

56. Making CITIES Spongy POSES GREATEST
CHALLENGE TO PLANNERS/
PROFESSIONALS/Administrators