by | | Curated Content
July 2nd 2025
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WellBeing Magazine
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Explore how sponge cities, rain gardens and depaving help manage rainwater and restore nature to our increasingly urban spaces.
Many years ago, Joni Mitchell sang about developers paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. Today, it is becoming increasingly common to see paved or concreted surfaces returned to nature, and this is not just as a concession to the hippy generation.
In built-up areas, impermeable hard surfaces have become ubiquitous. There was a logic behind this. Cities and towns were once unsanitary places with an excess of mud and filth, and after sewers came into use, the goal for managing excess water was to simply dispose of it. This arrangement worked relatively well until fairly recently. Now climate change is raising ocean temperatures, causing the air above to hold more moisture, which results in storms over land that are increasingly frequent and more intense. Surface water from flash flooding is liable to temporarily accumulate faster than it can drain away. The traditional drainage model is no longer working.
Current urban water design is shifting away from hard engineering towards permeability, with elements such as bioswales, rain gardens and green roofs increasingly commonplace as means for rainwater to percolate, reducing stormwater volumes. This fulfils a number of functions, the most important of which is to ameliorate the severity of floods. Groundwater depletion is a global issue, and allowing rainwater to infiltrate can recharge aquifers. Pollutants such as chemicals and oils that would otherwise be released into the environment are often absorbed by bacteria and fungi in the soil or filtering medium.
A “green and blue” nature- and water-focused urban infrastructure model is often referred to as the sponge city, and extends to parks, lakes, wetlands, woodlands and large peri-urban tree plantings such as the Orbital Forest around Tirana, the capital of Albania.
The origin of sponge cities
Kongjian Yu founded an innovative Chinese landscape architecture company called Turenscape in 1998. In the 1990s, he had studied overseas and, after returning later in the decade, he was disappointed to see the country embracing the Western concreteoriented paradigm when it came to infrastructure. Yu’s early speciality was to reclaim disused industrial sites and return them to nature.
He coined the term “sponge cities” in a 2003 publication and continued working out of the limelight for a decade until 2013, when President Xi Jinping adopted Yu’s model, launching China’s Sponge Cities Program. During 2015 and 2016, 30 pilot sponge cities were selected for projects. Today, Turenscape is behind more than 1000 sponge city initiatives in over 250 Chinese cities, plus others in France, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, Thailand and the US.
China’s ambitious 2030 target is for 80 per cent of urban built-up areas to have sponge city adaptations, and for them to recycle at least 70 per cent of rainwater. Meanwhile, sponge city features were, perhaps unfairly, criticised because in 2023 they were no match for the severe weather. Beijing experienced its heaviest rain in at least 140 years, and flooding was widespread.
Innovative water design
One focal point for Turenscape’s activities has been China’s southern island of Hainan. With a monsoon climate, it can experience severe storms and flooding. The city of Sanya has converted a former landfill site adjoining a river into a mangrove park featuring a gentle slope with terraces and bioswales that cause water in the landscape to be slowed down and absorbed. It also features interlocking fingers of land and water channels.
Another Turenscape project is Benjakitti Forest Park in Bangkok, a city that has its own flood challenges. Similar to Sanya, this involves some constructed wetlands on a former industrial site. It features four lakes containing numerous grasstopped mound islands created using concrete that was recycled from the redevelopment. These mounds filter and clean water and also provide habitat for wildlife. Public access is via raised walkways.
Rotterdam in the Netherlands is redesigning a square with part-time water-retention ponds. Watersquare Benthemplein contains three stepped, sunken basins that double up as water storage areas in the wetter months. Two basins allow the water to seep into the groundwater, while a third, an overflow that only receives water after prolonged rain, releases its stormwater into the sewers.
In addition to other water-collecting features, Los Angeles County is pioneering large basins called “spreading grounds”, located in areas that are gravelly, rocky or sandy, allowing water to percolate. Currently 27 in number, they are bordered by embankments and can be several hectares in size or larger. The Tujunga Spreading Grounds in the suburb of Sun Valley occupy a vast area of 0.6 square kilometres.
Depaving
Depave is the name of a hands-on grassroots group that began in 2008 in Portland, Oregon, a US city with a reputation for being ultra-progressive. Its mission is, with the blessing of the owners, to replace hard surface areas such as unused edges of car parks with gardens. It has positioned itself as an anti-racist environmental justice organisation, engaging with the issue of urban heat islands that are worse in poorer neighbourhoods with a higher African-American population. One important element is a commitment by locals to manage and maintain the sites into the future.
The group has depaved more than 33,000 square metres, which results in 24.5 million gallons of water being diverted from storm drains every year. The scale of what such a community-based endeavour can achieve may seem insignificant in proportion to the scale of the challenge. Yet its most powerful effects may be in shifting attitudes, encouraging replication, and even leveraging action at a city-wide local government level.
Today, Depave is in touch with a network of similar groups, including Green Venture in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, which operates along very similar lines. These ideas are receiving support from some local governments, such as the Belgian city of Leuven, which is focusing its depaving activities in the suburban district of Spaanse Kroon. The municipal authorities operate a small truck called a “tile taxi” that collects pavers and cobbles for free so that they can be reused elsewhere.
In Australia, Thami Croeser and his colleagues at RMIT Centre for Urban Research have looked into broad-scale depaving of Melbourne’s parking spaces, creating miniature gardens in their place. In a 2022 study, they simulated a number of scenarios, which included replacing up to half of the City of Melbourne’s 23,000 open-air parking spaces, yielding an additional 50-60 hectares of green space.
Porous paving
Increasingly, ways are being found to combine permeability with hard surfaces, and porous paving is becoming more widely used. This can involve impermeable pavers, with gaps between them for the water to infiltrate. Sometimes such pavers are alternated with grass. Otherwise, paver products may have a porous design that allows water infiltration via the make-up of the material itself, which can be asphalt, or concrete grid, among other options. To facilitate infiltration, multiple permeable layers are usually involved.
New York has a recent history of flooding affecting streets, basement apartments and subways. Rockaway is a peninsula on the edge of New York City that was badly affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The permeable concrete installed there was the first of its kind in the city. Currently, 11km of permeable pavement are being installed in Brooklyn, on the sides of roads, along kerb lines.
For a householder interested in trying out porous paving, a range of products is available in Australia and New Zealand. It is more expensive than the standard option due to the extra work involved in preparing the site, but this may be offset by avoiding issues with water pooling or running off.
Rain gardens and bioswales
What looks at first sight like a standard garden bed can hide a more sophisticated design tailored for capturing surface water. A rain garden is fairly small in size, often located below its surroundings, and often has a depression in the middle where rain collects. It generally possesses a minimum of two layers – a permeable soil mix topped by gravel, rocks or pebbles. Mulch is not recommended because it can be carried away and clog up stormwater drains. These gardens were first developed in the 1990 in the US state of Maryland.
A good location is close to where pollutants enter the waterways. If designed to collect water from an adjacent road, preferably it will be surrounded by a kerb-like border to prevent car tyres from driving over, compressing and damaging the garden. Another well-chosen site is in a suburban garden, where it can receive the stormwater from a downpipe.
Australia is seeing increasing numbers of rain gardens, 240 of which have been created in central Sydney. For each city’s climate there is a different list of recommended species. Because Australia is prone to dry conditions, self-watering wicking systems can be used for irrigation to prevent rain gardens from drying out. In 2022, the New Zealand city of Wellington installed its first pair of rain gardens.
Bioswales are similar, but on a larger scale, and are at least 30m in length. When establishing them, it is recommended to obtain advice from an engineer or landscape architect. Usually, they have gentle opposing slopes that descend to a dip in the middle that is suited to plants that can handle being flooded. They can be found in housing subdivisions, along roadsides that have no pedestrian traffic and on the edges of parking lots.
Green living roofs
Overlaying flat or gently sloping roofs with a green roof (also known as a living roof) fulfills a range of functions, including improved aesthetics, more biodiversity, better air quality and thermal and sound insulation. Another is stormwater diversion, as a green roof will soak up plenty of water. The range of plants used can consist of mosses, shrubs, grasses, ferns, herbs, wildflowers or most commonly sedum. This low-growing succulent has the advantages of being drought-tolerant so that it requires little watering. A green roof will generally have a soil or growing medium layer, below it a filter and drainage layer and, underneath, a root barrier and a waterproof membrane.
New buildings can be designed with a green roof in mind. For existing structures, retrofits need to be carried out, with reinforcement required to support the weight of wet soil and other materials. In Australia, for example, a green roof can cost 50-100 per cent more than its traditional equivalent, but this is offset by the improved insulation properties, plus the fact that, according to supporters, a green roof tends to double or even triple the roof’s life expectancy.
Europe is currently leading the world in green roof installations. Worldwide, the spread of these roofs is being accelerated by regulations in the form of mandates (eg in Basel, Linz, Toronto, San Francisco, Tokyo and Seoul), and financial incentives (Amsterdam and Rotterdam). Sydney and Melbourne encourage them, while New Zealand is perhaps a little slow in pursuing this roofing option. Utrecht in the Netherlands and Leicester in the UK have both installed green roofs on top of bus shelters.
A recently coined concept is the “blue-green” roof, which indicates a green roof with water harvesting, retention and re-use capabilities. Such a sophisticated system requires a greater level of expertise than a more basic green roof and more structural reinforcement. City authorities in Rotterdam pay up to US$530 to the building owner for every cubic metre of roof water harvested.
A range of benefits
In addition to diverting stormwater, sponge city projects offer a range of other diverse benefits to the community and the environment:
- In the case of new development, curbing the use of concrete and other hard surfaces with a significant embodied energy in favour of nature.
- The carbon sequestration effects of plantings.
- Adaptation to climate change, hot temperatures and drought, all simultaneously.
- Reducing the area of hard surface and replacing it with vegetation also reduces the heat island effect, minimising the incidence of heat-related health difficulties as the planet warms.
- Capturing pollutants before they reach a waterway.
- Bringing nature into urban areas, which is liable to result in improved physical and mental health.
- Aesthetically pleasing qualities associated with nature, which encourages people to exercise more.
- Plantings of native species support biodiversity.
Rethinking concrete and embracing nature-based water solutions allows for both people and nature to thrive.
Article featured in WellBeing Magazine 216
The post Rethinking rainwater appeared first on WellBeing Magazine.
Read the full article here:
Rethinking rainwater
by | | Curated Content
July 2nd 2025
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WellBeing Magazine
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Taking control of your health involves having the courage to engage in honest, and sometimes difficult, conversations with your doctor. Here we take a look at how to move beyond the traditional doctor relationship and become empowered to advocate for yourself.
Are you proactive when it comes to your health? Do you have regular check-ups and monitor changes in how you feel? Are you comfortable discussing topics like sexual health and emotional well-being with your doctor? Or do you find yourself skipping appointments because you’re too busy or too uncomfortable to bring up certain issues? Your relationship with your primary doctor is an important and sometimes overlooked element of your healthcare journey. However, people often hold back due to reluctance, embarrassment or self-neglect. Taking a holistic approach to your health, however, involves making time for yourself, building a good rapport with your doctor and being open to meaningful discussions about your health-related concerns.
Empowering yourself as a patient Taking a holistic approach to your health means being an active participant in your health care decisions. If something is bothering you, or interfering with your daily life, it’s important to prioritise yourself and make an appointment with your doctor. It can also be helpful to come prepared. Particularly when it involves complicated health issues. This gives you the confidence to ask questions so you can gain a good understanding of your condition. Then you are part of the decision-making process moving forward.
How much research is too much?
With the internet offering an overwhelming amount of medical information, finding the balance between being informed and over-researched can be challenging. Online medical content can lead to unnecessary anxiety and google can lead you down rabbit holes of misinformation. Taking health advice from unverified sources can result in misguided diagnoses and decisions, or worse, the adoption of dangerous trends.
Psychologist Carly Dober warns about these dangers. “People will pop their symptoms into Google, or search Instagram or TikTok content and diagnose their own conditions (often incorrectly) and engage in a treatment plan they’ve found online which can have quite serious consequences”, she explains.
“With the barrier to entry being incredibly low for making content online, it’s important to be discerning,” Dober explains. “Often, people create emotionally persuasive content to grow their following, but much of the time, this information can be wrong. At its best, it’s incorrect; at its worst, it can be fatal.” Health advice should come from medical professionals or practitioners who are credentialed, licensed, and educated in the relevant field.
Social media is rife with “healthwashing” – a form of deceptive marketing that promotes products as being healthier than they are. Dober recommends turning instead to reputable national health organisations such as government health bodies or the World Health Organisation. Intentionally following these sources can also help ensure your algorithm is providing accurate, evidence-based information.
As people increase their levels of health literacy, they naturally begin to place greater importance on where health information originates from and the research and data that support it. Consider asking your doctor for guidance on where to find credible health advice. A simple request for recommended reading can lead you to reliable sources and empower you to make informed decisions about your health.
Instead of researching possible scenarios before your appointment, focus on preparing specific questions for your doctor, such as:
- What could be the cause of my symptoms?
- Are there lifestyle changes or preventative steps I should consider?
- Can you explain the significance of my blood test results?
- What are the risks, benefits and possible side effects of this treatment?
- Are there any alternative treatments or specialists I should consider seeing?
These questions are a starting point; supplement them with your own.
Approaching sensitive subjects
According to Dr Gillian Deakin, a Sydney-based general practitioner and the author of What The Hell is Wrong with Me?, an understanding of the patient’s medical history and family history are required for the doctor to provide a high level of care. Past surgical procedures, medications and allergies along with an understanding of the patient’s mental and sexual health, are important to provide and a relationship where trust has been built makes the process of sharing this information much easier.
Building trust with your doctor involves having courageous conversations and a clear and open line of communication. Many people feel hesitant bringing up sensitive issues during appointments, but this can hinder early detection and treatment of potentially serious health problems.
According to Dober, one of the best ways to approach these conversations is to remember the purpose of the appointment and the role of the health professional. “I remind people that while this is one appointment for them, the health professional may have up to 20 similar appointments that day, many of which are personal and difficult for the client to talk about,” says Dober. While you may feel embarrassed or shy, you’re not alone in this experience.
Deakin advises that if you feel uncomfortable bringing up certain topics, write your concerns down before the appointment. This ensures you cover everything you want to address without hesitation.
Dober agrees, “I encourage people to take in notes, either in written form or in their phone, about what their symptoms are, and what they would like to discuss. This way they don’t leave the appointment without their concerns being communicated,” she advises.
Role playing with close friends or family if you’re unsure about how to raise a topic is another of Dober’s suggestions. Consider bringing in a support person if you feel unable to have the conversation independently. “The vast majority of health professionals truly want to help you in the best way they can, and they will work with you in order to do so”, assures Dober.
How important are regular check-ups?
Deakin recommends seeing your doctor annually, even if you’re not unwell. “There are many things that need attention,” she says, including vaccinations, cardiovascular checks and monitoring any hereditary risks based on your family history. Regular health checkups allow for early identification of potential conditions, such as cancer or cardiovascular issues that could be lifesaving.
During this health check, your doctor can assess your current health and recommend screening tests such as taking your blood pressure, ordering blood tests and performing a skin check. Early detection may allow for easier or more effective treatments of possible health issues.
When you need additional support
Receiving a new diagnosis can be overwhelming, and it might take several follow-up appointments to comprehend all the information. “It is important you become familiar with your condition, so persevere,” Deakin advises. She also suggests finding out if there are patient support groups or a foundation dedicated to your condition so you can learn more about it and meet people in a similar position.
Deakin also advocates for bringing a trusted friend or family member to your consultation. Not only can they provide emotional support, but they also act as a second pair of ears to help recall what the doctor said, ensuring that critical details are absorbed and understood.
What if you feel like you’re not being heard?
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may feel that your doctor isn’t fully addressing your concerns. This can be especially true for women, who can face challenges in having their symptoms taken seriously. Deakin acknowledges this as a real issue and advises women to present the facts of their symptoms without offering their own diagnosis. If your story is complicated, writing it down in a clear timeline is helpful – what the first symptom was, when it started, how severe it is and so on. Deakin also suggests being realistic about what the doctor can achieve in a standard consultation and if necessary, booking a longer appointment or returning for a follow-up.
It’s natural to connect with some personalities and not others and this may also apply to your relationship with your medical practitioner. Just like in any personal or professional interaction, finding the right fit can make all the difference. General practitioners (GPs) in Australia are trained to provide broad-based medical care, but many have specialised areas of interest, such as women’s health, mental health or chronic disease management. While they practice general medicine, some GPs see more patients in particular fields, allowing them to develop deeper expertise in those areas.
If you’re looking for a GP with specific knowledge, like expertise in perimenopause or menopause, consider finding one who focuses on women’s health. You can often find this information by looking up GPs online or calling the practice to inquire. To find a GP who specialises in menopause, a good place is to start is the Australasian Menopause Society website: menopause.org.au. It’s important to feel comfortable with your doctor because a trusting relationship encourages open communication. When you’re at ease, you’re more likely to ask questions, share your concerns, and engage in meaningful discussions about your treatment options. If your current GP isn’t the right match, it’s completely acceptable to switch and find someone who meets your needs.
How much can we expect from our GPs? General practitioners are often your first point of contact for health concerns, but they can’t specialise in every area of medicine. Deakin points out that GPs are trained to provide continuous, coordinated care, and part of this role includes referring patients to specialists when necessary. If you ever feel that your GP may not have the answers or the specialist knowledge needed for your condition, it’s entirely appropriate to ask for a referral. A second opinion or specialist insight can enhance your care without devaluing your GP’s role in your health journey.
This is also where multi-modality clinics can come into play. A multi-modality medicine clinic offers various types of healthcare professionals under one roof—GPs, physical therapists, dietitians, and more. These clinics offer a holistic approach, addressing multiple aspects of your well-being. The advantage is that you receive a coordinated approach to your health, with all your healthcare providers collaborating for a more comprehensive treatment plan.
A focus on preventative health
Supporting your health and reducing the risk of certain conditions requires a proactive approach. One of the most important steps is making healthy lifestyle choices. This includes finding a form of physical activity you enjoy and incorporating it into your routine consistently. A balanced diet, high in vegetables, fruits and whole foods is crucial for maintaining long-term health. Equally important is ensuring you get sufficient, high-quality, restorative sleep, which allows your body to recover and function at its best. Actively managing and reducing stress should also be a focus given the number of stressors we encounter daily. The relationship with your doctor can play a role too as your doctor can help you identify potential symptoms before they become serious and explain the lifestyle choices that are most important for reducing hereditary risks.
Understanding blood tests
Blood tests are an important tool for monitoring overall health, as they contain physiological markers that can indicate early signs of disease. Regular testing helps detect conditions early and reveals patterns that may flag potential risks. By working with a healthcare professional to understand your results, you can take early action through lifestyle changes or targeted supplementation before more invasive treatments are necessary. Common markers to monitor include cholesterol levels, blood glucose, liver and kidney function, complete blood count and vitamin D levels.
Even in healthy individuals, regular blood tests can detect minor imbalances that might otherwise go unnoticed. Sometimes, results fall within the “normal” range but may still be suboptimal. Natural health practitioners such as Naturopaths and Nutritionists, can help you understand your test results in detail and spend more time with you during appointments.
Blood tests can monitor several key areas of health: nutritional deficiencies that impact bone health, immunity and energy levels; inflammation markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) that indicate underlying health conditions; hormone imbalances affecting metabolism, mood and wellbeing; and thyroid function through TSH and comprehensive thyroid panels. By identifying these markers early, you can work with healthcare practitioners to address imbalances through diet and lifestyle changes before they develop into more serious conditions.
Ultimately, the first step in prioritising your health involves making time for yourself and taking an active role in your wellbeing. Just like any positive relationship, the connection with your medical practitioner is built on communication and trust. Be open and honest, and come prepared to discuss even sensitive issues. If you’re uncomfortable with the care you’re receiving or the outcome of your treatment, seeking a second opinion is not only appropriate but also part of taking a more empowered approach to your health.
Article featured in WellBeing Magazine 216.
The post Speaking up at the doctors appeared first on WellBeing Magazine.
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Speaking up at the doctors
