Science
Landprocess
An aerial view of CU Park in Bangkok, Thailand.
Summertime is Thailand's rainy season, when Bangkok and other cities can experience powerful storms. In past years, downpours have produced enough rainfall to completely flood city streets, overwhelm drainage systems, and inundate homes.
Making matters worse for Bangkok, the city is sinking at a rate of more than one centimeter a year and could be below sea level by 2030.
To help prevent future flooding, the city and local organizations have recently embarked on several projects, including mapping out an extensive water-management plan this past June.
One of the larger anti-flooding projects is Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, an 11-acre green space that can hold up to a million gallons of rainwater. As TED notes, Bangkok-based landscape architecture firm Landprocess designed the park to address flooding in its surrounding neighborhoods.
Here's how it works.