#Urban Planning4

7 Oct 2025

Low-cost design to cut indoor heat in Latin American cities

A study in Energy and Buildings finds simple, low-cost design choices can reduce indoor heat in Latin American cities. Researchers used simulations in five cities and propose passive measures, training and a free digital design tool.

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Photo by BRADLEY, Unsplash

29 Sept 2025

Yu Kongjian, pioneer of sponge cities, dies in Brazil plane crash

Yu Kongjian, 62, died in a plane crash in the Pantanal, Brazil, on September 23, 2025. Three others also died; they were making a documentary about sponge cities and the cause is under investigation.

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22 Sept 2025

Sponge city ideas to reduce urban flooding in Asia

Heavy rains in March 2025 caused severe floods in Jakarta and other Asian cities. The Chinese “sponge city” approach—absorbing and storing rainwater—has local successes but faces limits and challenges for wider use.

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5 Mar 2025

Alexandria’s coastal buildings at rising risk

A study in the journal Earth Future finds many buildings in Alexandria have collapsed in recent decades. Researchers link the damage to coastal erosion and rising sea levels and call for nature-based and technical defences.

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