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Zurich/Winterthur – The city of Zurich wants to take action against an overheated urban climate. In addition to new measures in the building sector, the city has launched a pilot project that absorbs rainfall like a sponge. The ZHAW is monitoring the project.

The city of Zurich is responding to the heat waves of previous summers and preparing itself for future temperature-related stress. Not only does it plan to introduce corresponding measures in new construction projects, but it is also taking steps to implement the ‘sponge city’ principle, according to a press release.

The sponge city principle was developed to minimize flooding in flood-prone cities by absorbing rainfall as in a sponge and then gradually channeling the rainfall into water bodies and groundwater. In Zurich, however, the principle will be used to counteract rising urban temperatures. A pilot project has now been launched on a portion of Giessereistrasse, a city in Zurich’s District 5.

Many factors such as road gradient, road surface, permeable curbs and sealable mud drums play a role in the sponge city principle. The aim is to ensure that rainwater flows only into the sewerage system in the winter; during the rest of the year, it should be diverted into vegetation, where it slowly evaporates and then contributes to cooling. Nine trees have now been planed to complete the construction work on Giessereistrasse.

The project, whose costs amount to 680,000 Swiss francs, is currently scheduled to run until the end of 2024. The Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) is responsible for scientific monitoring.