SPONGE 2020

Cities and densely built areas in the 2 Seas must adapt to more frequent intense rainfall and increased risks of urban flooding. Traditional public investments in drainage and sewage infrastructure cannot solve this challenge due to financial and spatial constraints. Local (water) authorities must resort to alternative, innovative solutions that integrate smart adaptation features in public and private spaces and buildings across their territory. Moreover, local stakeholders must become prominently involved in the implementation of those adaptation measures in and on their own properties. The objective is to improve the adaptation capacity of cities and densely built areas in the 2 Seas region by co-creating and implementing innovative climate change adaptation solutions with local stakeholders. This will result in an increased adaptation capacity of densely built area’s in the 2 Seas region by at least 25,000 m3 as well as costs saving of 10 – 50% compared to the use of traditional adaptation investments. SPONGE paves the way for a wide rollout of these innovative participatory adaptation solutions to reduce the risks of and damage from urban flooding across the 2 Seas area at considerably lower costs.

7 complementary pilot actions to co-create and implement innovative, place based climate adaptation solutions with local stakeholders. The partners jointly plan, design, implement & evaluate the pilots

Results include 1 toolbox for stakeholder engagement in climate adaptation

1guidance pack for participative climate adaptation in densely built areas

1Cross border action plan to introduce participative local climate strategies