László Sitányi on the Sponge City Project

Natural disasters are hitting the Danube region due to climate change; the intensity and frequency of heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and heavy rainfalls are increasing, causing more and more severe flash floods locally. As 75% of the region’s population lives in urban areas, most citizens are at particular risk.

Different cities and towns in the Danube region have different microclimatic, infrastructural, financial, legal and social backgrounds, and all need support in foreseeing local climate risks and identifying the practical course of action. Transnational cooperation is necessary for such knowledge exchange and for applying conclusions at a macro-regional level. The cross-sector partnership aims to respond to these challenges and to spread the concept of the sponge city in the Danube region. “Sponge city” is an urban area designed to cope with excessive rainfall using different techniques. It mitigates/prevents urban flooding by absorbing water naturally. It also reduces the extent of impervious surfaces and increases the amount of absorbent land, such as green surfaces, green walls, grass ditches, inner-city ponds, rain gardens, and permeable pavements. Complementing this approach with drainage and storage systems will also help to overcome water scarcity.

The 30-month Sponge City project, supported by the EU Transnational Danube Programme, was launched in January with 13 project partners. László Sitányi, the director of operations and projects of the Blue Planet Climate Protection Foundation, and Szabolcs Czigány and Ervin Pirkhoffer, associate professors at the University of Pécs, explained the concept and benefits of the sponge city to coworkers at the University of Pécs.

The Blue Planet Climate Protection Foundation is a strategic partner of the University of Pécs in implementing the project.