British media praised China’s ＂sponge city＂： not only the streets turn green, but also the flood control.

　　Reference News Network reported on January 7 that the British newspaper The Guardian published an article by Helen Roxberg on December 28, 2017, entitled "Sponge City in China Makes Streets Green to Fight Floods".

　　According to the article, a small area in Shanghai is turning green, with street after street.

　　In the harbor area, rows of trees are planted on the sidewalk, and the street gardens and public squares are full of plants. The plan between the crane and the construction site shows that the new building is surrounded by parks, streams and water features.

　　The article said that Lingang has a task. As a "sponge city" pilot area in Shanghai, it is trying an ecological scheme to replace the traditional flood control and drainage system in this coastal city that has long faced the risk of sea level rise.

　　According to the article, the rapid rise of cement forest in China often leads to the impermeable hard road surface that hinders the natural direction of water flow. In order to reverse this situation, the concept of "sponge city" focuses on building green infrastructure, such as wetlands, rooftop plants and rain gardens.

　　Havemei, director of water management at Cadiz China, said, "In natural environment, most rainfall will seep into the ground or collect into surface water, but the appearance of large-scale hard roads has destroyed this process. Now, only about 20% of the rainwater in the city penetrates underground, thus breaking the natural water cycle, causing waterlogging and surface water pollution. "

　　In Lingang, permeable sidewalks have been built on wide streets to allow water to flow into the soil. The central isolation belt is used as a rain park, filled with soil and planted with plants. The huge artificial lake helps to control the water flow, and the building has also built a green roof and water tank.

　　According to the article, in 2015, the state put forward the initiative to build a "sponge city", and 16 cities became pilot cities, which will be expanded to 30 cities, including Shanghai.

　　AARON Li, a professor at Tongji University, said: "The first thing to do is to protect or restore the natural water system as much as possible, which is a natural way to reduce the risk of waterlogging. For example, in Wuhan, the main problem is that many rivers are buried in the construction process. One advantage of the port area is that there are still a large number of farmland and an artificial lake, which can store more water during heavy rainfall. "

　　"In the past, people took land from water. Now, we need to return the land. "

　　According to the article, the port area can introduce new inventions into the urban structure, but it is very difficult to transform the old areas in Shanghai. Recent reconstruction work includes using permeable materials and increasing the area of sidewalks, so that the ground can naturally "absorb water".

　　But it is difficult to add new green space. AARON Li said that even the existing parks are basically a missed opportunity, because they are usually above the road and cannot provide natural access for a large amount of water. The most important thing is to build a green roof — — The Shanghai Municipal Government wants to build a 400,000 square meter roof garden — — Or gradually transform the sidewalk.

　　According to the article, by 2020, the government hopes that 20% of the built-up areas in each pilot city will have the function of sponge city, which means that at least 70% of rainwater can be stored, reused or absorbed by the ground. By 2030, 80% of the area of each city will meet this requirement. (Compile/Lu Di)