Aligning ancient and modern approaches to sustainable urban water management in China: Ningbo as a ‘Blue-Green City’ in the ‘Sponge City’ Campaign

Tang, Y.-T., Chan, Faith Ka Shun, O'Donnell, Emily C., Griffiths, J., Lau, L., Higgitt, D. and Thorne, Colin R. (2018) Aligning ancient and modern approaches to sustainable urban water management in China: Ningbo as a ‘Blue-Green City’ in the ‘Sponge City’ Campaign. Journal of Flood Risk Management . ISSN 1753-318X

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Abstract

Modern urban flood and water management emphasises holistic strategies that reduce flood risk while providing co- benefits to urban economies, societies and environments. The ‘Blue‐Green City’ concept provides a viable framework for putting this into practice. Ningbo, is a coastal city with high flood risk, whose history as a Chinese ‘water town’ demonstrates that approaches to water management implicit to the ‘Blue‐Green’ concept were practiced in ancient times, and lessons can be learned from these applications. Furthermore, recent launch of the ‘Sponge City’ campaign by China's National Government demonstrates the political will to implement sustainable flood and water management in ways consistent with the ‘Blue‐Green’ ideals. Selection of Ningbo for a pilot project presents the opportunity to integrate new ‘Sponge city’ approaches with ancient ‘Blue‐Green’ principles, within the contexts of both new urban development and retrofit. Reinventing traditional approaches to urban water management and governance offers the possibility of maintaining flood risk at acceptable levels without constraining urban growth in China and other countries experiencing rapid urban development.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Blue‐Green Cities; Integrated flood risk management; Sponge Cities; Integrated water management; Sustainable drainage systems; Water‐sensitive urban design
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham Ningbo China > Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical Sciences
University of Nottingham Ningbo China > Faculty of Science and Engineering > Department of Civil Engineering
University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Geography
Identification Number: 10.1111/jfr3.12451
Depositing User: Eprints, Support
Date Deposited: 02 May 2018 12:32
Last Modified: 08 May 2020 11:15
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/51532

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