Climate-resilient Warsaw: The Sponge City Concept

Project

1 Jan 2025 - 31 May 2025

Karolina Zubel

Agnieszka Maj

Katsiaryna Kasykh

Date:

1 Jan 2025 - 31 May 2025
Finansed by:

E.ON Poland

Karolina Zubel

Environment, Energy and Climate Change Director
Karolina Zubel holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science and BA from the University of Warsaw and Sciences Po Paris. Currently, she is a PhD student at the Warsaw School of Economics, focusing her research endeavours on smart cities developments. Her work has been at the intersection of sustainability, low-carbon … <a href="https://case-research.eu/project/climate-resilient-warsaw-the-sponge-city-concept/">Continued</a>

Projects from this author:
- Local and regional success stories of investing in disaster resilience
  The aim of the study is to collect, map and share good practices, examples and success stories of investing in disaster resilience (including but not limited to in response to past disasters and the lessons learned from them) at local and regional level. The study focuses on collecting evidence on initiatives, good practice examples and measures taken by the NAT commission members to improve disaster resilience. The study will be built on interviews with NAT commission members based on a questionnaire. The study will also draw conclusions on the benefits of investing in disaster resilience and make some recommendations to local and regional authorities for moving forward based on the success stories collected from the members demonstrating that smart investment at local and regional level can make a difference in disaster risk reduction. The focus will be mainly, but not exclusively, on extreme weather events and climate-related disasters, given their growing frequency, intensity and impact. The study will contribute to knowledge sharing and exchange of good practices, by collecting and sharing success stories from and by members who have invested in reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening disaster resilience at local and regional level. As a repository of local and regional good practice examples, initiatives and measures relating to disaster preparedness and resilience, the aim of the study is also to feed into a bigger and longer-term project to map success stories of investing in disaster resilience on the ground.
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  The world is currently facing a water crisis driven by overdemand, mismanagement and the impacts of the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Alarmingly, 40% of the global population resides in regions confronting water scarcity. In the southern Mediterranean, particularly within the MENA region, the situation is even more dire. This area … Continued
Author’s projects
Agnieszka Maj

Economist
Agnieszka Maj is an Economist at CASE. She holds an MA degree in International Economic Relations from Cracow University of Economics. Currently, she is obtaining an MA in Gender Studies – Intersectionality and Change at Linköping University. During her education (on both BA and MA levels) she participated in numerous exchange programs at the University … <a href="https://case-research.eu/project/climate-resilient-warsaw-the-sponge-city-concept/">Continued</a>

Projects from this author:
- Local and regional success stories of investing in disaster resilience
  The aim of the study is to collect, map and share good practices, examples and success stories of investing in disaster resilience (including but not limited to in response to past disasters and the lessons learned from them) at local and regional level. The study focuses on collecting evidence on initiatives, good practice examples and measures taken by the NAT commission members to improve disaster resilience. The study will be built on interviews with NAT commission members based on a questionnaire. The study will also draw conclusions on the benefits of investing in disaster resilience and make some recommendations to local and regional authorities for moving forward based on the success stories collected from the members demonstrating that smart investment at local and regional level can make a difference in disaster risk reduction. The focus will be mainly, but not exclusively, on extreme weather events and climate-related disasters, given their growing frequency, intensity and impact. The study will contribute to knowledge sharing and exchange of good practices, by collecting and sharing success stories from and by members who have invested in reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening disaster resilience at local and regional level. As a repository of local and regional good practice examples, initiatives and measures relating to disaster preparedness and resilience, the aim of the study is also to feed into a bigger and longer-term project to map success stories of investing in disaster resilience on the ground.
- Cancer: repository of regional prevention and detection policies
- Natural disasters: anticipatory governance and disaster risk management from a local and regional perspective
  The COVID-19 pandemic, the war right on our doorstep, the devastating floods in Slovenia, wildfires in Greece and Cyprus, relentless heatwaves in Italy and Spain, to name just a few: all of them highlight the need to better prepare for, cope with and recover from disasters and crises. It is one of the most important challenges for … Continued
Author’s projects
Katsiaryna Kasykh
Katsiaryna Kasykh is an experienced project and program and manager with over 18 years of expertise, specializing in territorial and cross-border cooperation program and project management, territorial marketing, ecology, sustainable development, area-based development, and humanitarian aid projects. She has successfully implemented numerous social and humanitarian projects, combining her skills in strategic planning and management with a deep commitment to fostering collaboration across regions. Ms. Kasykh holds a MA degree in Management and Economics from Brest State Technical University and a postgraduate diploma in Customs Law from Belarusian State University. For over 15 years she was on managerial position in NGO Sector in Belarus. Her professional background includes leading roles in designing and managing large-scale initiatives funded by local and international donors (incl. EU, UN,UNDP, UNHCR,USAID), with a focus on environmental issues, sustainable development, and community-led projects. Additionally, Ms. Kasykh has extensive expertise in Eastern Partnership programs, working on cross-border cooperation strategies and contributing to regional development initiatives. Her work in developing regional development strategies, overseeing cross-border cooperation programs, and delivering impactful area-based development projects demonstrates her ability to create solutions that address complex regional challenges while promoting ecological and social sustainability.

Projects from this author:
Author’s projects

Warsaw, like other major cities, is facing the challenge of climate change, which is bringing increasingly frequent droughts, heat waves, torrential downpours and floods. In response to these threats, the capital is implementing an innovative ‘sponge city’ concept to better manage rainwater. This initiative involves the implementation of retention solutions, which will enable the city to manage water on its own turf, effectively counteracting droughts, floods and reducing the urban heat island effect.

The ‘Sponge City’ initiative, spearheaded by CASE-Centre for Socio-Economic Analysis, is funded by the E.ON Foundation in Poland as part of the ‘E.ON connects energy for climate’ grant programme. The project aims to enhance Warsaw’s resilience to climate change and improve the quality of life for its inhabitants by implementing ecological solutions. The project is structured into three phases:

Firstly, it involves an analysis of global examples of the implementation of the ‘sponge city’ concept and adaptation of best practices to Warsaw conditions.
The creation of a comprehensive guide for housing communities and building managers to facilitate the planning, implementation and maintenance of rainwater retention systems and green spaces.
Educational activities, including workshops and information campaigns, will raise environmental awareness among residents and property managers.

The project’s benefits include more effective stormwater management, reduced flood risk, improved microclimate, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality. Cities that have implemented similar solutions have reported an increase in the health of their residents and a better quality of urban space.

The project will target housing communities and cooperatives, as well as office space managers, who have a key influence on urban infrastructure. Collaboration with the City of Warsaw and the creation of educational materials aligning with urban guidelines will guarantee the effective implementation of solutions.

The Sponge City project is a step towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient city and therefore an improvement in the quality of life of its inhabitants.

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Climate-resilient Warsaw: The Sponge City Concept

Date:

Finansed by:

Karolina Zubel

Projects from this author:

Agnieszka Maj

Projects from this author:

Katsiaryna Kasykh

Projects from this author:

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