The ‘sponge city’ concept - The Urbanist 675 | Monocle

The Urbanist

Old and young, plus the ‘sponge city’ concept

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Cover art for The Urbanist

19 September 2024

Episode 675

27 minutes


Photo: Getty Images

We look out for the oldest – and youngest – residents of our cities as we explore how design can combat loneliness among the elderly, and how children in Helsinki can learn while enjoying public playgrounds. We also check in with the originator of the ‘sponge city’ concept.

19 September 2024

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Chapter 1

11 minutes


Photo: Magnusson Architecture and Planning

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Chapter 1

Senior housing designed to combat loneliness

Cover art for The Urbanist

Jeffrey Ginsburg of Volunteers of America-Greater New York and Fernando Villa of Magnusson Architecture and Planning discuss how design can help prevent loneliness in senior housing projects.

11 minutes

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Senior housing designed to combat loneliness

Chapter 2

6 minutes


Photo: Roni Rekomaa

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Chapter 2

Playgrounds in Helsinki

Cover art for The Urbanist

Petri Burtsoff reports on a new playground in Helsinki that exemplifies how thinking like a kid can help make better spaces for both learning and play.

6 minutes

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Playgrounds in Helsinki

Chapter 3

8 minutes


Photo: Alamy

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Chapter 3

The ‘sponge city’ concept

Cover art for The Urbanist

Kongjian Yu, the landscape architect behind the ‘sponge city’ concept, joins us to explain how the idea came about and how it spread around the world.

8 minutes

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The ‘sponge city’ concept

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