Flood Resilience Through Green Infrastructure

Writing in Wired, Matt Simon warns that New York City needs to adapt to protect its citizens and infrastructure from future flooding like the city experienced during Hurricane Ian and recent rains.

As Simon explains, “On a warming planet, it’ll rain more and individual storms will get more intense. This pain will be especially acute in urban areas, which are built on stormwater infrastructure designed to handle the rainfall of yesteryear.” Now, old infrastructure can’t keep up. “Ancient wastewater systems are now tasked with getting rid of ever-bigger inundations.”

Meanwhile, hard, impermeable surfaces like concrete and asphalt effectively seal cities, leaving few places where water can drain into the ground. “Better sewer systems will be indispensable, sure, but planners are also fundamentally reimagining urban areas as “sponge cities” designed to mitigate flooding by absorbing water.”

Today, cities like New York and Los Angeles are working to reverse the problem by building green infrastructure such as rain gardens, bioswales, blue belts, and permeable pavement. In places like Los Angeles, this much-needed water will also help replenish underground aquifers.

According to Simon, “Green spaces don’t just mitigate flooding. They beautify the urban landscape and improve residents’ mental health. They filter out microplastics and other pollutants, keeping them from reaching sensitive water bodies like rivers. And when the weather is hot, they cool neighborhoods, because plants ‘sweat.’”