Montreal building more sponge parks, sidewalks to soak up heavy rainfall
Climate Change, Energy & Pollution Parks & Public SpaceSummary
Sponge parks and sidewalks are green spaces that absorb excess rainfall. The City of Montreal plans to build 30 sponge parks and 400 more sponge sidewalks by 2025, in addition to the seven sponge parks and 800 sponge sidewalks that currently exist since 2022. Surface developments like these are effective and more economical in helping to reduce the impacts of heavy rains. The mayor has pledged to put aside 10 to 15% of its three-year capital expenditure program for green infrastructure. Experts in climatology, climate change, and mechanical engineering, say that water-retention infrastructure such as sponge parks and sidewalks are a step in the right direction when dealing with the heavy rainfall that is a result of climate change.