Sponges
A favourite cartoon of our children used to be SpongeBob SquarePants. I was reminded of this when I recently read about sponge cities: urban landscapes that act like giant sponges to passively absorb, clean and use rainwater. I’ve been in Lagos during rainy season when the floods create mayhem. Now many cities face a similar challenge – and climate change makes it worse. Prof. Kongjian Yu is a Sponge City Architect (fabulous job title!) who is installing terraced wetlands in the heart of 250 Chinese cities. These are saving lives and billions of dollars. So how spongy is your city?
— Wayne Visser
More on Nature & Biodiversity
Sunrise
There is no bigger canvass than the sky – and each morning, nature paints a masterpiece. Most days, we miss her grand unveiling, but in…
Planet · Nature & Biodiversity
Supertrees
Trees are incredible. But some have superpowers. In South America, Brazil nut trees grow 14-storeys high and are the Amazon’s rainmakers, each pumping 3.5 bathtubs…
Planet · Nature & Biodiversity
Synergetics
Studying the shapes and patterns of nature is inherently fulfilling, but also deeply insightful. The polymath Buckminster Fuller, best known for his geodesic dome design…
Planet · Nature & Biodiversity
From Purpose Inspired: Reflections on Conscious Living, Volume 1. Buy on Lulu ↗