Singapore, France and Netherlands improve urban resilience

International perspective

Original title: Singapore, France and Netherlands Enhance Urban Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Capabilities - (Citation)

Responding to Disaster Risks and Building Resilient Cities (Theme)

People's Daily reporters Zhang Jinruo, Shang Kaiyuan, Zhang Huizhong

Due to the impact of climate change, the disaster risks faced by cities around the world are becoming increasingly complex and diverse, and building resilient cities has become an inevitable choice. In recent years, the concept of promoting more inclusive, safe and sustainable urban resilience has attracted attention and put into practice in many countries, and has become an important trend in the development of safe cities. Cities such as Singapore, Paris in France and Rotterdam in the Netherlands have taken various initiatives to explore more resilient cities.

Singapore –

Build a "sponge city" to control water and retain water

In March this year, Singapore ranked sixth in the world according to the annual "City Resilience Index" released by Savills, a world-renowned real estate service provider, up six places from 2021.

In 2017, the Singapore government launched the Future City Plan, allocating 150 million Singapore dollars (1 Singapore dollar is about 0.76 US dollars) to promote the construction of resilient cities. In 2023, the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority's draft Master Plan 2025 focuses on enhancing urban resilience, including the development of underground space, the efficient use of land and the enhancement of facility planning, as well as research on coastal protection and urban heat island effects to combat climate change. Among them, the construction of "sponge city" is one of the important measures to improve urban resilience in Singapore.

Singapore is a flat terrain with an average annual rainfall of 2,400 mm, and the city centre has experienced several waterlogging in the rainy season almost every year. Over the years, the Singapore government has continuously improved traditional storage and drainage facilities, widened major rivers, strengthened concrete channels, and built reservoirs to collect rainwater, and flood disasters have been gradually suppressed.

In 2006, the Public Utilities Board of Singapore launched the "Vibrant, Beautiful and Clean Water Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the "ABC Water Plan"), and Singapore's "sponge city" construction ushered in new development. Under the plan, the Singapore government has set up more than 100 specific projects to integrate reservoirs, ponds, drainage channels and wetland depressions with urban life, "making the whole of Singapore a catchment area" to achieve holistic water management. It is reported that more than 30 projects have been completed under the "ABC Water Plan", and the government expects to complete all projects by 2030.

Completed in 2010, the Sengkang Floating Wetland is a key project under the ABC Water Project. The wetland, which is about half a football field, was built on the Punggol Reservoir to improve the water quality of the reservoir, collect more rainwater and connect the communities and parks around the reservoir.

In addition, the Haruz Wetland in Rorong, which was converted from a waste landfill, the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, which won the President's Design Award in Singapore for its comprehensive rainwater recycling system, and the City Gardens by the Bay, which has become a new landmark in Singapore, are all projects implemented by the ABC Water Project.

In addition to large-scale projects, the ABC Water Project has also re-converted the concrete channels of some of Singapore's rivers into meandering natural channels, and built depressions and ponds around the rivers to form urban parks for people to enjoy. Kishnani, a sustainable design expert at the National University of Singapore, said that Singapore should not only "manage water", but also "retain water", which requires effective use of natural water storage function, which is also one of the hallmarks of "sponge city".

Singapore's current water storage and supply capacity can meet 30 per cent of the country's water needs. The Public Utilities Board of Singapore predicts that Singapore is expected to achieve water self-sufficiency by 2060 as the construction of a "sponge city" continues to advance.

Paris, France –

Strengthen emergency drills to deal with extreme heat weather

Someday, France Paris was declared to be experiencing 50 degrees Celsius for the first time, and the city immediately took a series of emergency measures to provide shelter for vulnerable people in some shady places...... It was an urban exercise held in downtown Paris last October to test and assess the city's resilience and emergency response capabilities.

Summer temperatures in Paris are usually pleasant, and most homes are not equipped with air conditioning or other refrigeration equipment. With the increase in extreme weather and climate events caused by climate change, especially extreme heat waves, Paris set a high temperature record of 42.6 degrees Celsius in July 2019. According to the "Paris 50 Degrees Celsius" report released by the City of Paris, the temperature in the Paris region will rise sharply in the next few decades, and the number of heat wave events will multiply, which will have a great impact on the quality of life and health of Parisian citizens, as well as the status of local biodiversity.

The Paris 50 degrees Celsius exercise simulated scenarios such as power outages, difficulties in transporting medicines, and the inability of on-site maintenance personnel to work due to high temperatures. The results of the exercise revealed that while Paris has several potential shelters, such as underground tunnels, shopping malls and public buildings, ensuring the safety and accessibility of these sites remains a major challenge. "We also need to find and renovate other venues, such as performance halls, cinemas, and map them." Penelos · Comites, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of the Resilient Cities Strategy, said.

In 2017, the City of Paris adopted a Resilient City Strategy, which identifies the challenges facing the city, including priority areas such as climate change, air pollution, river flooding, urban safety, and social governance. In 2022, the new Resilience Strategy report took stock of 35 areas of action, with a greater emphasis on the participation of civil society groups and citizens, such as building an "Oasis Campus" that can be opened to the public, developing a network of "Paris Volunteers", setting up an emergency psychological intervention team, and popularizing emergency professional training.

During this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, temporary shaded areas were set up near major attractions and Olympic venues, with spray cooling equipment and drinking points to reduce heat stroke. At the beginning of this year, the City of Paris solicited opinions on measures to strengthen the city's resilience through a public consultation platform and plans to publish an updated resilience strategy based on the experience and measures accumulated in recent years, in order to further optimize the city's resilience.

Rotterdam, Netherlands –

Developing Featured Projects to Improve Urban Water Resilience

Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands, is built on water. Most of the city is located about 6 meters below sea level, with an annual rainfall of about 856 mm and an average of 132 days of precipitation per year. The city has long been at risk of seawater backflow and heavy rains and flooding.

In order to improve the city's "water resilience", the Rotterdam city government has launched a number of policies to improve water management, such as the Rotterdam Water Plan and the Rotterdam Weather Smart Plan since 2001. According to the plan, the city has launched a number of special projects, including the construction of "green roofs" and the construction of water squares.

Since 2008, residents of the city of Rotterdam have been able to apply to the municipality for a green roof subsidy of 30 euros per square metre. The goal of the construction plan is to achieve a total area of 800,000 square meters of multi-purpose green roofs by 2030, installing water storage systems and solar panels on the roofs to increase the water storage capacity of houses. In 2019, the City of Rotterdam further improved the project by developing a complete roof colour system, including a green roof, a blue roof that stores water and ensures smooth drainage, and a yellow roof that generates sustainable energy.

The Rotterdam Water Plaza project also focuses on urban rainwater harvesting. In 2011, the City of Rotterdam allocated 4.5 million euros to build a water plaza in Bentemprin that combines rainwater storage and recreational space. Completed in 2013, the water plaza has 3 pools, a sidewalk sink that directs rainwater into the pool when it rains, and a dry 3 pool when it doesn't rain, and can be used by the public as a ball game or dancing venue.

Increasing climate change is also testing Rotterdam's "water resilience". It is estimated that if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, sea levels in the coastal areas of the Netherlands will rise by another 1.2 to 2 meters by 2100. Rotterdam will be at risk of flooding from heavy rainfall, which will directly affect the city's water level and soil salinity.

To this end, Rotterdam launched the Rotterdam Resilience Strategy in 2016 and the Rotterdam Resilience Strategy 2022-2027 in 2022 to strengthen the city's resilience to the impacts of climate change. Currently, Rotterdam is also using geospatial data to inform and inform adaptation measures, guide investment into the areas of the city where adaptation measures are most needed, and strengthen the city's resilience in a targeted manner to build a more adaptable and livable environment.

Source: People's Daily