Guizhou: Sponge City Development Makes Urban Areas More "Breathable"

As cities continue to develop, the sustainable use of water resources and the protection of urban ecosystems have become increasingly critical. Sponge city development, an innovative approach to urban planning, is gradually transforming the way cities function and interact with nature.

In Guizhou, sponge city development is expanding from pilot projects to full-scale implementation. Since Gui'an New Area was selected in 2015 as one of China's first 16 national pilot cities for sponge city construction, cities such as Anshun and Bijie have successively joined the ranks of model sponge cities. Built atop karst terrain, these cities are tackling the dual challenges of seasonal flooding and engineered water shortages by applying a comprehensive technical approach of "infiltration, retention, storage, purification, reuse, and drainage."

In the early morning at Moon Lake Park in Gui'an New Area, Guizhou Province, the air is crisp and fresh. After overnight rainfall, there is no standing water on the permeable brick walkways. Joggers leave only faint traces of moisture with each step, as the ground absorbs water like a sponge.

Unlike conventional urban parks, Moon Lake Park, a flagship project in Gui'an New Area's sponge city transformation, features sunken greenbelts seamlessly integrated with adjacent road surfaces through V-shaped slope designs. When it rains, water is first directed into these landscaped areas, where it is gradually absorbed and purified through multiple layers of vegetation and soil, eventually seeping into subsurface infiltration pipes.

"Following this design, the park has demonstrated significant improvements in flood discharge safety, water retention capacity, and surface runoff management," said Lu Jinshan, Chief Engineer at the Fourth Engineering Bureau of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which is overseeing the PPP-based sponge city pilot project covering Gui'an's Two Lakes and One River area. Since opening to the public, Moon Lake Park has not only been listed among Guizhou Province's first batch of key wetlands, but has also been designated as a Provincial Eco-Sports Park, becoming a popular destination for residents.

Beyond the park, sponge city principles are also visible in Xinghe Community, another area within Gui'an New Area. The community's roads make extensive use of permeable paving, supported by rain gardens, grassed swales, and other landscaping and engineered solutions, forming a comprehensive system for stormwater absorption and storage throughout the neighborhood.

"The community treats and purifies collected rainwater for use in fountains and for irrigating ecological landscapes," said Liu Qiong, Head of Xinghe Community. Through rainwater harvesting and recycling, the community saves nearly 5,000 tons of water each month in landscaping and sanitation-an amount equivalent to 10 days of water usage for all residents.

"To date, Gui'an New Area has completed 40 square kilometers of sponge city development, with 71% of the built-up area meeting sponge city construction standards. This has laid a solid foundation for building a livable and business-friendly new urban center," said Cao Yang, Party Secretary of the Gui'an New Area Urban and Rural Development Bureau.

In addition to Gui'an New Area, Anshun is also innovating in the advancement of sponge city development, integrating the concept of a "breathing city" with broader urban renewal efforts.

Designated in 2022 as part of China's second batch of demonstration cities for systematic, citywide sponge city implementation, Anshun has been actively integrating ecological resilience into urban planning. That same year, the city issued the Interim Measures for the Planning, Construction, and Management of Sponge Cities in Anshun, laying the groundwork for full-scale adoption of sponge city principles across its territory.

By the end of May 2025, Jinniu Lake Retention Park, located at the junction of Shizi Mountain and Jinniu Mountain, was officially completed. In the morning light, vast stretches of purple verbena sway gently along winding permeable walkways, creating a picturesque scene with the lake's shoreline reeds and iris.

"The permeable concrete jogging paths, layered over crushed stone, form a highly efficient rainwater infiltration system-essentially an 'absorption net' embedded in the ground," explained Hu Youliang, the project manager. Rainwater quickly seeps through the permeable surface, is filtered by the gravel bed, and flows into grassed swales. There, it undergoes a second round of purification through a natural filtration system made up of hydrophilic plants and gravel, before eventually draining into Jinniu Lake.

The sponge city approach is also benefiting older residential neighborhoods. One such example is Xinan Community, located in the Anshun Economic and Technological Development Zone, which has undergone a remarkable transformation. Previously, even light rainfall would cause water to pool across the community's streets. After the sponge renovation, residents have noticed a significant improvement. Zheng Liping, a resident, stood beside a newly constructed sunken greenbelt and remarked, "There used to be serious flooding whenever it rained, but since the renovation, we haven't seen a single puddle."

Xie Yu, Deputy Director of the Engineering Department at Anshun Economic Development Zone Urban Investment Company, explained, "This entire area is surrounded by sunken greenbelts. What you see here is the overflow outlet. When it rains, water is first collected into the greenbelt, and any excess flows through the outlet into the municipal drainage system."

In recent years, Guizhou has been systematically advancing sponge city development across the entire province, with the goal of improving urban livability and environmental quality. The Guizhou Province 14th Five-Year Plan for Urban Infrastructure Development emphasizes the importance of promoting sponge city construction in line with local conditions to enhance urban functionality and resilience.

By shifting away from traditional urban development models, Guizhou is now guided by principles of planning-led design, ecological priority, and safety-first implementation. Through the flexible application of techniques such as infiltration, retention, storage, purification, reuse, and drainage, the province is pursuing tailored strategies to build sponge cities characterized by natural accumulation, natural infiltration, and natural purification.

Across Guizhou, the sponge city concept has taken root and quietly reshaped the urban landscape. What was once an abstract idea has now materialized into tangible elements-buildings, roads, and green spaces-that seamlessly integrate into the fabric of daily life, much like a gentle rain soaking into the ground.
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