Resilient Economies Strategies for Sinking Cities and Flood Risks 2025

TABLE 2 Action areas for public-private sectors and stakeholders to address sinking cities (non-exhaustive) (continued) Stakeholders Recommended actions Construction and real estateCarry out geotechnical and subsidence risk surveys. Account for construction load in building and foundation design. Adopt soil-sensitive construction and stabilization methods. Build future-proof structures, such as more-elevated buildings, to account for any land subsidence risks. Leverage adaptive reuse of existing structures and brownfield development opportunities where possible, in lieu of new greenfield development. Implement water-conscious design and use alternative water sources apart from groundwater. Integrate nature-based solutions in building design, such as green roofs and walls. Employ district and masterplan development strategies that make use of shared water resources, preserve green and blue spaces, and optimize stormwater management solutions. Engage in public-private partnerships for co-financing resilient infrastructure. Technology providersAdvance real-time monitoring and early warning technologies Obtain reliable data and perform data analytics to inform decision-makers on targeted land subsidence solutions and compounding risks. Advance IoT and AI to provide real time visibility into issues that cause subsidence, particularly water waste. These can include leak sensors, flow meters and water level meters to gather real time information. Advance emerging technologies such as photonics and nanotechnologies to alleviate water stresses (e.g. photonics for data centres, IoT for agriculture and manufacturing, digital twins). Urban plannersIntegrate land subsidence risk and sponge city and green infrastructure principles into spatial planning and urban design. Advocate for long-term planning horizons, moving beyond political cycles to ensure sustainability. Agriculture Use efficient irrigation and shift to less water-intensive crops where possible. Implement regenerative agricultural practices such as cover cropping, composting and crop rotation to maintain soil structure and reduce erosion. Strengthen farmer education and do capacity building on groundwater use and land subsidence. Use drip irrigation and efficiency rebates. Implement managed recharge (e.g. recharge basins and flood irrigation recharge). Encourage farmer reservoirs for rainwater storage. Utilities Assess and monitor subsidence along pipelines, treatment plants and other assets to understand and address risks. Transition from groundwater to surface or recycled water. Retrofit or relocate buried infrastructure if needed, considering both short- and long-term implications. Develop affordable sustainable water management solutions. Enhance rainwater management, including incorporating rainwater harvesting systems that capture, store and release water gradually, promoting soil absorption rather than surface runoff. Fashion Adopt regenerative agriculture or agroecology paradigm in practice. Implement water recycling within fashion supply chains. Apply rain-fed agriculture to reduce freshwater use in fibre production and use rain-fed varieties of crops (e.g. organic cotton). Resilient Economies: Strategies for Sinking Cities and Flood Risks 38