Water Management: Quantity vs. Quality in Sponge Cities

“Sponge city addresses climate-related risk of urban flooding and drought. An ecosystem-based approach to adaptation is applied using Nature based solutions and integrating green-blue and grey infrastructures. The natural water cycle is to be strengthened by no longer draining rainwater into the sewage system as quickly as possible, but by (temporarily) storing it, allowing it to evaporate or seep away.”

 2024 has seen numerous flooding and droughts events occurred across the continent. One of the common actions from cities to prevent such disaster is the development of blue-grey infrastructure, also known as Sponge-City infrastructure. The overriding goal of the sponge city is the sustainable use of water as a natural resource. Rainwater is to be retained "like a sponge" and released directly or indirectly via evaporation.[1]

This upcoming webinar, sponsored by ACO, will focus on “Water Management: Quantity vs. Quality in Sponge Cities” featuring presentations from a European Commission representative and a city official sharing their best practices and experiences. Following this, an Experts Roundtable / Impulse will bring together diverse perspectives from various fields.

The event will take place on February 13th from 11.00am to 12.30pm CET and offers an opportunity to engage with stakeholders and learn insights from successful initiatives across Europe.

The program of the webinar is available below.