A study released by the Carbon Disclosure Project this month finds that 103 cities around the world have a serious risk of flooding. Most of the problem can be traced directly to the increased use of concrete and asphalt since the beginning of the automotive age. Land that used to absorb water is now covered with impervious coatings which cause rain and flood waters to accumulate rather than percolating into the soil below.
The proof of the failure of the “pave, pipe, and pump” strategy that has been at the heart of urban planning (or lack of urban planning) for the past 100 years is evident for all to see in the aftermath of the devastation caused to the city of Houston and environs after getting slammed by Hurricane Harvey. South Florida has been grappling with flooding issues for decades.
Regardless of whether more powerful storms are the result of climate change exacerbated by human activity or are simply God’s retribution for homosexuality, as many extremist evangelists contend, doing nothing to make cities more resilient to flooding is asinine.
Chicago has actually been experimenting with storm water resiliency for more than a decade. Cities as far away as China are paying attention and incorporating the lessons learned by Chicago in their own infrastructure plans.
Since 2006, the Windy City has built more than 100 Green Alleys and Eco-Boulevards — stretches of permeable pavement and bioswales that allow storm waters to filter through and drain into the ground below, where microbes remove bacteria and pollutants before the water is allowed to run into nearby Lake Michigan. The Green Alleys mean 80% of rainwater is now kept out of the city’s storm sewers and processed naturally.
The Chinese government wants to utilize the principles of Chicago’s Green Alleys to create 16 so-called “Sponge Cities.”
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