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Globally, urban areas are experiencing significant changes in temperature, precipitation, and sea levels, with an apparent increase in the frequency, intensity, and uncertainty of climate events. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been identified as vulnerable to multiple hazards, raising significant concerns regarding their resilience to climate change impacts. The GCC has experienced increases in heavy precipitation, floods, droughts, cyclone activity, and sea-level rise, coupled with the rapid population growth and economic development ( IPCC, 2013 ). Enhancing cities’ resilience and preparedness to withstand, cope with, and recover from weather-related hazards is a global imperative that strengthens risk-mitigation strategies and enables the development of innovative solutions for more effective urban water management. The Sponge City approach emerged as an innovative strategy that integrates green and blue features into urban contexts to enhance risk adaptation, preparedness, recovery, and mitigation. The “no-regret” approach aims to address several threats posed by climate change, such as water stress, urban runoff management, prolonged droughts, and environmental degradation. Blue–Green Infrastructure (BGI) includes rain gardens, wetlands, permeable pavements, and community gardens, which can be integrated into existing grey infrastructure at different scales and help transform vulnerable cities into more resilient networks. China was the leading country in proposing the Sponge City technology as a fundamental design strategy for integrating Blue–Green Infrastructure (BGI) tools within existing and new urban development. Following the Chinese Sponge City guidelines and Zareba et al. (2022), the study adopts a multiscale view of BGI tools. The Sponge City interventions are organized into Macro-, Meso-, and Micro-scale, from regional and city-wide networks down to individual “Sponge units” such as raingardens and green roofs. However, neighborhood community gardens, which are a vital unit of urban design for social engagement and a meso-scale fundamental tool for stormwater management, were notably absent within hot-arid regions. The study highlighted an academic and practical gap in determining a scalable, feasible approach to applying Sponge City meso-scale neighborhood applications in hot-arid regions. This gap hindered urban planners and stakeholders from adopting such an approach in arid countries, where climatic conditions are challenging, and water is scarce. Hence, the research aims to propose feasible and applicable neighborhood mesoscale applications, such as community gardens in hot-arid regions, to mitigate the impacts of frequent severe weather events. The study focuses on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a region vulnerable to extreme heat, frequent floods, and droughts. The study began with a review of related definitions, principles, and key strategies of Sponge Cities, with a deep understanding of its global applications and similar regional projects. Followed by an analysis of Sponge City’s measures, tools, and applications at three scales, which are the micro, meso, and macro-scale. Following this, Policy documents, recent climate reports, and global and regional case studies were synthesized to formulate a clear vision of the concept. The study presents a scalable practical framework suitable for the UAE’s context that integrates BGI tools into the urban design of residential neighborhoods, focusing on the meso-scale of the family house and presenting the possible solutions, potential, and opportunities of adopting this approach in arid countries. Technical details for implementing such a model will be presented, explaining linked water tanks, irrigation water pipes, and recycled water systems.