Future Tense Sinking Cities
Jul 31, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Philip Minderhoud, an expert in land subsidence from Wageningen University, and Anna Hurlimann, a researcher in urban planning from the University of Melbourne, tackle the alarming trend of sinking cities. They reveal that our thirst for water and rapid urban development play critical roles in this phenomenon. The duo calls for a reassessment of urban strategies to address climate impacts, emphasizing the need for sustainable water usage and resilient infrastructure as cities struggle with rising sea levels and subsidence challenges.
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Human groundwater use sinks cities
- The major cause of sinking cities worldwide is overextraction of groundwater.
- Human activity drastically accelerates subsidence compared to natural processes.
Ice factory worsens Jakarta sinking
- An abandoned flooded apartment in Jakarta sat next to an ice cube factory pumping groundwater.
- This industrial use caused local sinking up to 10-15 centimeters per year visible on a daily basis.
Misdiagnosing sinking problems
- Sinking is often wrongly attributed to climate change rather than land subsidence.
- Misdiagnosis leads to symptom treatment like dikes, ignoring root groundwater extraction causes.
