Berlin Is Becoming a Sponge City

Landscape architects help a city absorb water so it can behave more like nature.
Sponge City: Making Berlin Cooler
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

As flash-floods, heat waves and droughts become increasingly common, an innovative climate adaptation strategy is emerging in Germany.

“Sponge City” tackles two issues that most cement- and asphalt-laden urban centers struggle with—heat and flooding—all by imitating nature. Watch how Berlin’s infrastructure is being redesigned to solve drainage and heat problems as climate change accelerates.