Sponge cities are being established in many places to make urban spaces more resilient to climate change-related extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, heat periods and long dry spells.

The core elements are usually innovative blue-green infrastructures – such as green roofs and facilities for retention and/or infiltration of surface water. They serve to collect rainwater, establish natural water cycles in neighbourhoods and thus counteract the consequences of extreme weather events.

Furthermore, these structures also harbour previously untapped potential for purifying urban water from pollutants. Water flowing off buildings, roads and other urban surfaces contains particulate and freely dissolved pollutants that can accumulate in sewers. The release of these pollutants into the water cycle and groundwater must be prevented, and blue-green structures can provide suitable solutions for this.

Domestic greywater – which accounts for approximately 70% of total domestic wastewater – can also be used as a resource for irrigating urban green spaces and improving microclimate management in urban areas. Since greywater is only lightly contaminated and also occurs independently of weather conditions, it represents a valuable water source. Treated directly at the point of origin, it can contribute to strengthening local water cycles at neighbourhood level.

• How can water quality be secured in the sponge cities of the future?
• What risks exist from known or new chemicals?
• What technological advances are there in the field of water treatment and utilisation?
• How can these structures be integrated into existing planning processes and approval procedures?
• How are these structures received by the population?
• And how can potential conflicts in establishing such structures be dealt with constructively?

We will address these and other central questions around the future topic of climate adaptation for cities at the Innovation Forum 2025 in November at UFZ. Come to Leipzig, learn more about it and actively contribute to the discussion.

The Innovation Forum at UFZ is an established platform for exchange and networking – for everyone involved in the sustainable transformation of economy and society.

Register here  ► Registration