Cover of Sponge Cities report, produced by The Helen Clark Foundation in partnership with WSP New Zealand
With China and New Zealand both experiencing severe rainfall events through 2023, urban planners and developers are looking for solutions that improve the resilience of urban infrastructure and mitigate unwanted effects like flooding.
One idea gaining traction in China and New Zealand is a move to ‘sponge cities’ — incorporating green infrastructure such as floodable parks and planted wetlands that can absorb excess rainfall and keep homes and businesses from flooding.
On Friday 13 October, 2–4 pm NZT (10am–12 noon Beijing time), speakers from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Beijing will share their ideas on how cities can respond to the new demands of climate change, including the building and reclamation of green urban infrastructure. This online forum has been organised jointly by New Zealand China Friendship Society (NZCFS) and the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (BPAFFC).
The forum will begin with opening remarks by BPAFFC Executive Vice President Mme Zhang Qian and Political Counsellor Charles Boulton from the New Zealand Embassy in China. Other speakers from New Zealand will be NZ China Council Executive Director Alistair Crozier, Wellington City Innovation Lead Sean Audain, and Helen Clark Foundation Deputy Director Kali Mercier. Kali is the author of a recent Helen Clark Foundation report on sponge cities, produced in partnership with WSP New Zealand.
Also participating in the forum will be a small NZCFS delegation visiting Beijing from New Zealand. Following the forum, delegation members will visit urban brownfields development sites in Beijing and Shanghai and attend a conference in Suzhou, Jiangsu province exploring Green and Innovation-Led Urban Development.
You can register for this online forum below. A Zoom link will be sent to your email address closer to the time. If you don’t receive it, please check your Spam folder.
[Registration is now closed]
