Study of Sponge Cities and Low-Impact Development (LID) in Urban Water Management

Fanzheng Meng ()
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Fanzheng Meng: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, College of Arts and Sciences

A chapter in Proceedings of the 2025 3rd International Conference on Digital Economy and Management Science (CDEMS 2025), 2025, pp 212-219 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In response to climate change, irregular rainfall, and rising sea levels, sponge cities and low-impact development (LID) have become emerging water management approaches that use green infrastructure and permeable materials to reduce runoff. However, as these concepts are new, their effectiveness and future feasibility remain controversial. This paper studies the design flaw in traditional urban water management, which leads to more frequent and severe floods during heavier rain seasons or in near-shore cities. To combat the design flaws, LID, and sponge cities are beneficial and cost-effective solutions to this problem. Through the renewal and construction of LID facilities and sponge cities, the employment rate in the local area is boosted due to the demand for workers, and the technology R&D is also encouraged to pour more resources toward technological advancements such as permeable concrete. Furthermore, LID and sponge cities also effectively retain the water, directly reducing the pressure for water supply in the local area as well. Though LID and sponge cities are a solution, the public media and education system rarely promote this knowledge, which inhibits the public attention and demand for these techniques. Another limitation is that the techniques are only cost-effective with high water exposure, either through rain or ocean, thus inland cities and drier cities have less incentive to implement this infrastructure, but it will also mean they will be vulnerable should their weather condition expose heavy water conditions through rainfall.

Keywords: Low impact development (LID); Sponge cities; Urban development; Stormwater management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:advbcp:978-94-6463-770-0_26

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DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6463-770-0_26

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