In Rotterdam, the Netherlands, rainwater is no longer a burden on the city, but is transformed into a resourceLiquid gold. This city, with an area of about 85% below sea level, paid a painful price due to the catastrophic flood in 1953, but now it has become a benchmark for global resilient city construction with the wisdom of "coexisting with water".

The resilient city construction of Rotterdam began with a subversion of traditional flood control thinking. In the past, the Netherlands relied onHard flood control facilities such as the Delta Project, but with rising sea levels and frequent extreme rainfall, simply "blocking water" is no longer sustainable.

In 2008, Rotterdam launched the "Climate Protection Plan", proposing the concept of "freeing up space for water", viewing the city as a dynamic "sponge body", and achieving the absorption, storage, and reuse of rainwater through a decentralized rainwater management system. The core of this idea lies in the multi-functional transformation of public space - for example, the Benthemplein Water Plaza is a place for citizens to skateboard and gather in sunny days, and it will become a reservoir that can hold 1000 cubic meters of rainwater in rainstorm. The ladder design can delay rainwater drainage and relieve the pressure of drainage system. This' flexible space 'not only reduces the risk of waterlogging, but also integrates disaster prevention facilities into daily life, reshaping the interaction between people and water.

On a practical level, Rotterdam has established a three-dimensional rainwater management system from the roof to the underground. The green roof is part of this system"The first line of defense": the city's more than 219000 square meters of green roofs can intercept 82 liters of rainwater per square meter, slow down the runoff speed through vegetation absorption and siphon system, and reduce the load of drainage system by 30% in rainstorm. The government provides a subsidy of 30 euros per square meter for green roofs, promoting the demonstration of public buildings such as municipal archives and central libraries. Below ground level, Rotterdam will transform its parking lot into an invisible water storage facility. The underground parking lot of the Museum Park is equipped with the largest rainwater storage in the Netherlands, which can absorb 10 million liters of rainwater in half an hour. After a rainstorm, it is slowly discharged through the pump station, which not only prevents sewage overflow from polluting the river, but also prevents urban traffic from being paralyzed by waterlogging.

The practice in Rotterdam has brought triple dividends. Environmentally, the rainwater management system can be retained annually175000 cubic meters of water resources were replenished while reducing the frequency of waterlogging, resulting in a temperature drop of up to 8 ℃ in some areas during summer. Economically, climate adaptation technologies have spurred new industries, with the Rotterdam Adaptation Strategy alone creating 3600 job opportunities. Floating farms and other models have attracted global investment and promoted the transition to a green economy. At the social level, 90% of the time in spaces such as water squares is spent on community activities, becoming a bond that unites citizens' sense of identity.

The experience of Rotterdam proves that the construction of resilient cities is not simply a combination of technology, but a reconstruction of systematic thinking. followFrom "fighting against floods" to "coexisting with water", from single function to multi-dimensional resilience, this city transforms climate challenges into development opportunities through spatial innovation, resource recycling, and community governance. As the designer of the Water Square said, "The best flood prevention facilities are those daily spaces that make people forget about the threat of floods

Currently, Rotterdam isThe posture of "sponge" has written a revelation of human water symbiosis for global cities - here, rainwater is no longer the prelude to disasters, but the gentle rain that nourishes cities.It reminds us that when we transform fear into creativity and view threats as resources, every drop of rain is no longer a challenge of fate, but a dialogue gifted by the universe.