sponge city

A sponge city is an urban area with an abundance of natural or ‘green’ features that, in the event of flooding, can absorb water. These areas range from trees and green spaces to parks, lakes and even roofs.

What on earth are sponge cities? Linda Serck 2024

While conventional flood water management focuses on draining water away as quickly as possible through engineered drainage infrastructure, such as pipes and water channels, sponge cities emphasize the opposite — absorbing water and slowly releasing it, like a sponge.

Soaking up the storm: Sponge cities and the future of flood-resilient Southeast Asia Hasya Nindita 2025

I don't know how well these sponge cities work but having trees in the city certainly wouldnt hurt, with too much water or air quality.

Chinese “Sponge Cities” have the guys talked about this? LAN_Zealot4 2025