logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2019
12m 30s

How to transform sinking cities into lan...

TED
About this episode
From London to Tokyo, climate change is causing cities to sink -- and our modern concrete infrastructure is making us even more vulnerable to severe flooding, says landscape architect and TED Fellow Kotchakorn Voraakhom. But what if we could design cities to help fight floods? In this inspiring talk, Voraakhom shows how she developed a massive park in Bangkok that can hold a million gallons of rainwater, calling for more climate change solutions that connect cities back to nature.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
How fossil fuel companies keep your energy costs high | Jon Powers
Solar energy and storage are the fastest, cheapest ways to add electricity to the grid. So why are small towns across the US pausing or banning these projects? Clean energy entrepreneur Jon Powers shows how fossil fuel companies are waging disinformation campaigns at the local le ... Show More
12m 7s
Oct 28
How people are using AI to grieve, love and connect | Jennifer Cearns
Many people fear AI is eroding our humanity, replacing real relationships with synthetic ones that leave us lonelier than ever. Digital anthropologist Jennifer Cearns believes the opposite may be true. After talking to hundreds of people who turn to AI for grief, love, friendship ... Show More
17 m
Oct 27
How video games can power up your parenting | Hannah Boquet (re-release)
Parenting an eye-rolling teenager glued to a gaming system is not a simple feat, but what if you could turn screen time into an opportunity for connection? Hannah Boquet shares how she decided to play video games with her kids and discovered the power of esports to foster trust, ... Show More
17 m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2022
Sponge cities that fight flooding
Sponge cities use natural features to slow down, soak up and reuse flood water. Yu Kongjian nearly drowned as a boy when his village flooded, but it inspired him to come up with the sponge city concept. It’s now being rolled out across China. In Singapore too, parks and lakes are ... Show More
23m 57s
Sep 2025
Fortes précipitations (Heavy rainfall)
Partout dans le monde, de nombreuses villes subissent des inondations importantes et certaines ont décidé de repenser leur urbanisme en conséquence.Traduction :Around the world many cities are experiencing significant flooding and some have decided to rethink urban planning as a ... Show More
2m 52s
Nov 2021
The potential of green infrastructure
Dr. Elizabeth Fassman-Beck discusses how our aging stormwater infrastructure threatens access to clean water. This talk was filmed at TEDxStevensInstituteofTechnology. All TEDx events are organized independently by volunteers in the spirit of TED's mission of ideas worth spreadin ... Show More
9m 24s
Apr 2024
How to build resilience through architecture (w/ Alyssa-Amor Gibbons)
Millions of people around the world are displaced by the enhanced natural disasters brought on by climate change, and sometimes, our economically driven world makes us feel powerless. Alyssa-Amor Gibbons knows about climate devastation and its effect on community first hand – but ... Show More
34m 6s
Feb 2022
Climate change and the challenge of long-term thinking
Using the story of Hurricane Sandy’s effect on New Yorks as an example, Scientist and professor Adam Sobel shows how bridging science with storytelling is a key to enabling more action to stop climate change. This talk was filmed at TEDxBroadway. All TEDx events are organized ind ... Show More
8m 29s
Dec 2015
Episode 85: You Can't Surf After the Storm
Alisa Valderrama and Rob Moore of NRDC talk about how water and climate change effects cities and infrastructure now and in the future. 
33m 27s
May 2024
Solving Mexico City's water crisis
Mexico's capital often floods during the rainy season, but paradoxically, it's also running out of water. A large and growing population, along with crumbling infrastructure and the effects of climate change - are increasingly putting a strain on the city. We meet the army of sci ... Show More
22m 59s
Aug 2025
Floods, mangroves and rampaging tractors
This week, floods have hit the global headlines. First up, we delve into the various reasons why floods form. After learning about the causes of floods, we discover a nature-based solution in the form of mangrove forests. Laura Michie from the Mangrove Action Project tells us why ... Show More
49m 30s