Binjiang Park becomes a ‘sponge’
2023-04-08 20:04:00
By Chen Si, Yichang International Communication Studio
Binjiang Park is the site of Yichang’s first “sponge transformation" project.
‘Sponge city’ is an urban planning concept based on a sustainable drainage system. Natural landscapes are built or restored so that water can be caught, cleaned and stored.
Chen Gang, the head of the 10 km-long project, said the transformation involves environmental protection technologies that mimic a “sponge”, offering improvements in land coverings, surface slope protection, soil and water conservation, hydrological management and biological management.
Instead of confining water with levees and channels, and rushing it off the land as quickly as possible, ‘sponge’ approaches restore water’s natural tendency to linger in places like wetlands.
Cement pavements and roads are out, replaced with a sponge approach that favors grassland, green slopes and other landscapes which allow water to penetrate into the underground water table.
Sponge transformation can help reduce water and soil loss, cut water pollution, restore ecosystem functions, reuse water resources, and create wetland landscapes.
The project kicked off at the beginning of March. Major tasks – such as upgrading the sunken green space and the river viewing terrace – have now been completed. Once the construction area has been cleared up and the greenery restored, the park will reopen to the public.
‘Sponge city’ is an urban planning concept based on a sustainable drainage system. Natural landscapes are built or restored so that water can be caught, cleaned and stored.
Chen Gang, the head of the 10 km-long project, said the transformation involves environmental protection technologies that mimic a “sponge”, offering improvements in land coverings, surface slope protection, soil and water conservation, hydrological management and biological management.
Instead of confining water with levees and channels, and rushing it off the land as quickly as possible, ‘sponge’ approaches restore water’s natural tendency to linger in places like wetlands.
Cement pavements and roads are out, replaced with a sponge approach that favors grassland, green slopes and other landscapes which allow water to penetrate into the underground water table.
Sponge transformation can help reduce water and soil loss, cut water pollution, restore ecosystem functions, reuse water resources, and create wetland landscapes.
The project kicked off at the beginning of March. Major tasks – such as upgrading the sunken green space and the river viewing terrace – have now been completed. Once the construction area has been cleared up and the greenery restored, the park will reopen to the public.
