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The scenario simulations and several problems of the Sponge City construction in semi-arid loess region, Northwest China

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Abstract

Sponge City, as a new concept on urban stormwater management, implies well-adapted and resilient of a city on possible stormwater and the derived disaster consequently. It is similar to Low Impact Development (LID) in United States and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in the United Kingdom, Sponge City emphasizes that the stormwater should be managed from source and origin. It has significance meaning to cities in the semi-arid loess region due to highly uneven precipitation distribution and serious water resources shortage. In order to explore the rational utilization mode of rainwater resources in loess region, the available amount of rainwater resources is evaluated taking the main urban area of Xi'an for example. Moreover, on the basis of the current land use situation of Xi'an derived from remote sensing image data, 7 green infrastructures renovation scenarios were set for simulating the possible effects of Sponge City construction in the city based on SWMM (Storm Water Management Model). The results show that, the potential available amount of rainwater resources in the main urban area of Xi’an is 1.42 × 108m3 approximately, close to the annual public water consumption, this implies good economic and social benefits for a semiarid city in northwest China like Xi’an. The effects of different green infrastructure modes present quite differences on runoff control under conditions of the different rainstorm intensities and the combination four (green roof and rain garden and permeable pavement) is the best. For the decision maker, a practicable Sponge City renovation scheme should be determined based on the overall planning, all such factors as investments, negative influences in construction periods, and future developments should be all considered in advance.

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Correspondence to Wenqing Li.

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Liu, Z., Li, W., Wang, L. et al. The scenario simulations and several problems of the Sponge City construction in semi-arid loess region, Northwest China. Landscape Ecol Eng 18, 95–108 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-021-00486-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-021-00486-3

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