Jia, Haifeng

Wang, Zheng

Yu, Shaw L.

English

Hydraulic Engineering Repository

Article, Published VersionJia, Haifeng; Wang, Zheng; Yu, Shaw L.Opportunity and challenge China's Sponge City planHydrolinkVerfügbar unter/Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11970/109348Vorgeschlagene Zitierweise/Suggested citation:Jia, Haifeng; Wang, Zheng; Yu, Shaw L. (2016): Opportunity and challenge China's SpongeCity plan. In: Hydrolink 2016/4. Madrid: International Association for Hydro-EnvironmentEngineering and Research (IAHR). S. 100-102. https://iahr.oss-accelerate.aliyuncs.com/library/HydroLink/HydroLink2016_04_Sponge_Cities.pdf.Standardnutzungsbedingungen/Terms of Use:Die Dokumente in HENRY stehen unter der Creative Commons Lizenz CC BY 4.0, sofern keine abweichendenNutzungsbedingungen getroffen wurden. Damit ist sowohl die kommerzielle Nutzung als auch das Teilen, dieWeiterbearbeitung und Speicherung erlaubt. Das Verwenden und das Bearbeiten stehen unter der Bedingung derNamensnennung. Im Einzelfall kann eine restriktivere Lizenz gelten; dann gelten abweichend von den obigenNutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte.Documents in HENRY are made available under the Creative Commons License CC BY 4.0, if no other license isapplicable. Under CC BY 4.0 commercial use and sharing, remixing, transforming, and building upon the materialof the work is permitted. In some cases a different, more restrictive license may apply; if applicable the terms ofthe restrictive license will be binding.100 hydrolink number 4/2016The National New Urbanization Plan (2014-2020), released in 2014 by Chinese Centralgovernment, sets a target for China’s urbanpopulation to rise by 1% per year to reach 60%by Year 2020. Such an ambitious plan presentsgreat challenges to leaders of all levels ofgovernment in terms of avoiding city syndromesand achieving a sustainable urban developmentprocess. The Ambitious “Sponge City”InitiativeIn order to promote a sustainable urbanizationstrategy, the Chinese government announced anew urban drainage infrastructure buildingparadigm, branding it “Sponge City” (SC)initiative, in 2013. Deviating from the traditional“rapid-draining” approach, the new paradigmcalls for the use of natural systems such as soiland vegetation as part of the urban runoffcontrol strategy. The “six-word” principle, whichincludes “infiltrate, detain, store, cleanse, useand drain”, forms basis of the guidelines forurban stormwater management. In October 2014 the China Ministry of Housingand Urban-Rural Construction (MHURC) issueda draft technical manual on Sponge Cityconstruction. In October 2015 the State Councilof China announced a major expansion of theSC Initiative, which is being implementednationwide. Recognizing the limitation of LowImpact Development (LID) / Green Infrastructure(GI) facilities in controlling large or less frequentstorm events, the government mandates theintegration of green and gray infrastructure. The expanded SC Plan includes as its goals notonly effective urban flood control, but alsorainwater harvest, water quality improvementand ecological restoration. The use of LID/GIpractices will be required for all new develop-ment and retrofit sites, science and commercialparks, green spaces, non-mechanical vehicleroads, pedestrian walkways, etc. During 2015 and 2016, the China Ministry ofFinance (MOF), with support from MHURC andthe Ministry of Water Resources (MWR),selected 30 cities (see figure 1 for the locationsof these pilot cities), among more than fivehundred applicants, as pilot sites under theSponge City Plan. Each city is to receive 400 to600 million RMB (1 RMB ~ 0.15 $US) annuallyfrom the central government for three years, with the total investment estimated to be about42.3 billion RMB. Local matching is required and public-private partnerships (PPP) areencouraged. Cities will receive a 10% bonusfrom the central government if the PPP contribution exceeds a certain percentage ofthe overall budget. According to preliminaryestimates, the total investment on the SpongeCity Plan is roughly 100 to 150 million RMBaverage per square kilometer or 10 Trillion RMBfor 657 cities nationwide.China’s SC Initiative has attracted the attentionof experts, officers and publics all over theworld. This was made clear by the success ofthe “2016 International Low ImpactDevelopment Conference” at the end of June inBeijing, which attracted more than 1200delegates from over 20 countries. During theconference, a declaration, “The BeijingConsensus: Low Impact Development forUrban Stormwater Management”, was issued. OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE,CHINA’S SPONGE CITY PLAN BY HAIFENG JIA, ZHENG WANG & SHAW L. YUOver the past decade China’s urban population has grown to 52.4 percent in 2015 from 42.5 percentin 2005, and the build-up areas have increased by 17,252 km2. This roughly equates to an additionof 165 million people dwelling in urban areas in a decade, which is extraordinary!  This rapidurbanization process, sometimes lacking adequate planning and design, has led to a worsening“city syndrome” situation such as urban flooding, water pollution, heat-island effects and ecologicdeterioration, etc. Figure 1. Location of the Pilot Sponge CitiesSPECIAL ISSUE ON101hydrolink number 4/2016tions. So far, the financial assistance doesprovide incentives for action. Also, the currentcriteria for local officials’ performance evalu-ation does not include SC implementation. Ifthe promotional evaluation process could bemodified to include results of SC implemen-tation, local officials would be much morecommitted to its success.  Inter-agency Coordination at Local Levels Currently, there is close coordination among thekey agencies responsible for implementing theSC Initiative at the ministry level, i.e., MHURC,MOF and MWR. However, at the local, orsponge city level, often many agencies areinvolved, such as the urban planning,construction, water conservancy, andenvironment protection bureaus, etc. A smoothand efficient SC implementation requires agreat effort and time for inter-agency coordi-nation. To facilitate such efforts, some SC pilotcities have created the “Sponge City Offices”,which include representation from all bureausrelated to urban water. Inadequate Investment and ReturnEstimatesChina’s sponge city initiative represents anenormous and unprecedented undertaking bythe government for achieving urban sustain-ability. In the era of budgetary constraints andcompeting needs, how to finance all thesponge city projects is a real challenge. Thegovernment has listed some innovativestrategies for fund-raising, which includes, inaddition to government grants and subsidies,local matching and public-private partnerships.China’s SC Initiative represents an enormousand unprecedented undertaking by thegovernment for achieving urban sustainability.MHURC officials recognize that the success ofthe SC will require a combined and coordinatedeffort by many government agencies in areassuch as landscape/architectural planning,construction, municipal, water, transportation,finance, environmental protection and inputfrom other stakeholders. To finance all thesponge city projects is a real challenge. Thegovernment has listed some innovativestrategies for fund-raising, which includes, inaddition to government grants and subsidies,local matching and public-private partnerships.The government is also encouraging partici-pation by financial institutions, and will allowqualified entities to issue construction bonds tofinance the sponge city projects.Challenges for the SC PlanImplementationSignificant challenges lie ahead for the SC Planimplementation. A few important ones arediscussed below: Inertia of Traditional Approaches andMeasure of Success for Local Officials  First, in contrast to the traditional urbanconstruction philosophy in China, i.e., the age-old notion of man can conquer nature, the basicconcept of the SC approach is living with natureand making use of nature’s abilities. Althoughthe Central Government has mandated the SCconstruction and has issued technical guide-lines, some provincial and local governmentofficials are slow to act due to inertia of tradi-IAHRHaifeng Jia conducted hisresearch and teaching inthe fields of watershed /urban water environ-mental planning andmanagement, waterquality and hydrologic modelling, urbanrunoff control and LID BMPs, andEnvironmental Remote Sensing and GIS. He has finished 100 research projects. Hehas published more 200 peer-reviewedjournal papers and conference papers, and9 books. He has received 38 different levelacademic and engineering Awards andHonors. He is active in internationalacademic activities and internationalcollaborations. He has organized andattended many international conferences.He also serves as Member of IAHR/IWAJoint Committee on Urban Drainage.Wang Zheng is a Ph.D.candidate at school ofenvironment in TsinghuaUniversity. His researchinterests are in analysisof environment systemand urban runoff management andplanning, and his work has been publishedin some different journals.Shaw L. Yu, aftergraduating from CornellUniversity in 1968 Dr. Yutaught for thirty-five yearsat several universitiesincluding Rutgers, Tulaneand the University of Virginia. Dr. Yu isrecognized internationally as an expert instormwater management, nonpoint sourcepollution control technology and watershedmanagement. Dr. Yu is currently a LifeMember and an Honorary Diplomat of theAmerican Academy of Water ResourcesEngineers of the American Society of CivilEngineers (ASCE).A major current issue is how to develop areliable, and tangible, estimate of returns oninvestments in the SC projects. For example,how to quantify and appraise the benefit of SCimplementation is still an important question.Also, after the completion of an SC project,maintenance of the LID/GI facilities will becomea crucial factor affecting project sustainability.The lack of information on maintenance Figure 2. The 2016 International Low Impact Development Conferencerequirements and costs would contribute touncertainties in SC budget estimates. Lack of Site-specific Technical Guidanceand Product CertificationStormwater management by nature is highlysite-specific due to spatial rainfall variability andother pertinent local environmental, social-economic factors.  For example, the GuidingOpinions on Advancing the Construction ofSponge Cities issued by the China StateCouncil sets a control goal of 70% annual runoffvolume for 20% of the built-up areas by 2020. Inorder to achieve such goals, cities in differentclimate regions will need different design criteriafor their control practices. Also, some of thecontrol practices, such as an undergroundstormwater treatment system, are manufacturedby private companies. An evaluation and certifi-cation process would be highly desirable beforesuch products are used for public projects.Furthermore, the design, construction andmaintenance of LID/GI systems require profes-sionals with appropriate background andtraining. Therefore, a consorted effort and timeis needed for Research and Development (R/D)in SC technology in order to achieve successesfor the SC projects.  The Way ForwardThe SC Implementation StrategyThe current SC plan scope has been expandedto include not only dealing with the urban waterrunoff problem, but also with the broadermanagement of urban water. For example, theintegration of green and grey infrastructures isrequired for flood control, water qualityimprovement and ecological protection andrestoration.  Local governments will need toadjust their land use planning and stormwaterinfrastructure construction strategies to satisfySC requirements.  To effectively improve waterquality, the government could consider estab-lishing regulations similar to the NationalPollution Discharge Elimination System(NPDES) and the Total Maximum Daily Load(TMDL) programs used successfully in theUnited States. Also, to provide a strongincentive for local government officials, thesuccess of SC implementation could be usedas a performance evaluation factor forpromotion considerations.  Improving Investment and FinancingOptionsThe SC construction represents an urbanizationprocess of an enormous scale that requires amajor financial commitment from thegovernment.  Innovative financial options, suchas appropriate PPP project portfolio, creditsupport, loan guarantees, special constructionfunds and bond issuing should be consideredand promoted. The government should alsosimplify the administrative approval process forreducing the upfront costs of PPP projects.Decentralization of administrative authorityproperly to local governments can help thembuild a tailored and flexible policy approachappropriate for local social, environmental,economic and cultural situations.Developing Sponge City IndustriesThe sustainable development of SC requires arobust industrial base. The central governmentshould consider assisting related industries andThe Beijing Consensus on Low Impact Development forUrban Stormwater Management Prepared during the 2016International LID Conferencen Our ultimate goal is to manage urban stormwater in such a way to create a livingenvironment in which humanity and nature co-exist harmoniously and a sustainablecondition is maintained.n We consider stormwater runoff as a water resource and its beneficial use should bemaximized, especially in relatively dry areas. We recognize water quantity and qualityare both limiting factors to water usage. Consequently, managing stormwater shouldemphasize both the quantity and the quality aspects.n To mitigate the negative impact of urbanization, efforts should be made toconserve/restore the natural hydrologic processes as much as possible.n In controlling urban runoff quantity and quality, we should consider the combined use ofboth natural (such as infiltration, evapotranspiration, etc.) and engineered (such as lowimpact development (LID) or green infrastructure (GI) practices) processes andsystems.n We realize under certain situations (e.g. extreme rainfall events), the integration of greenand gray infrastructures might be necessary.n We recognize the need to link land uses with urban water management plans. Aneffective and sustainable urban stormwater management requires a solid regulatoryframework.n We understand there may be consequences of urban runoff management planning anddesign, e.g., upstream impacting downstream (connectivity). A watershed-wideconsideration is encouraged and tools for such analysis, e.g., watershed hydrologicmodels, are needed.n More often than not, the urban stormwater management may involve multiplejurisdictions and agencies. Therefore it is highly desirable that a strong collaborationexists among various relevant agencies, institutions, groups, etc. (stakeholders) on acontinuing basis. Moreover, setting up goals and selecting appropriate techniques forachieving them should consider local and/or regional conditions.n We realize that urban runoff management requires a significant and long-termcommitment and investment. Public-private partnerships and other cost-effectivestrategies should be considered. Also, life-cycle operation and management ofpractices, such as planning, design, construction, inspection/acceptance, etc. areneeded.n We need to make constant innovation and improvement. We will make great efforts topromote the sharing the knowledge and experiences on a continuous basis.establishing a viable sponge city industry chain.Under the current economic climate of “over-capacity reduction”, the SC projects can offergood business opportunities for manufacturersproducing pervious concrete, permeable bricks,infiltration pipes, etc.  A stable supply systemwill help ensure the successes of the spongecity projects. nReferencesThe CPC Central Committee, The State Council. The National NewUrbanization Plan (2014-2020), 2014.The General Office of the State Council. Guiding Opinions onAdvancing the Construction of Sponge Cities. 2015China Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction (MHURC).Technical guidelines on Sponge City construction—Low impactdevelopment stormwater management system. 2014.JIA Haifeng，YAO Hairong, YU Shaw L. Advances in LID BMPsresearch and practices for urban runoff control in China. Frontiersof Environmental Science & Engineering. 2013, 7(5):709-720.SPECIAL ISSUE ON102 hydrolink number 4/2016

Opportunity and challenge China's Sponge City plan

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Opportunity and challenge China's Sponge City plan

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