A Systematic Review Comparing Urban Flood Management Practices in India to China’s Sponge City Program

Abstract

India and China are among the two most populous countries in the world that concomitantly incur substantial flood-related losses, and both countries are also experiencing rapid urbanization. This study was conducted to trace the major urban flooding cases in these countries between 2014 and 2020 and probe into their existing flood mitigation policies with special focus on China’s Sponge City Program (SCP). A systematic review using preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA) was conducted. Results showed that both these countries experienced comparable challenges in terms of the need for localized low impact development (LID) planning given their extensive geographically induced diversities. Improved inter-governmental and inter-agential coordination, new avenues of funding involving public and private enterprises with accommodations to source local products and services to boost local economies, improved practical and technical understanding for working professionals and improved community acceptance and participation are also recommended. It is concluded that India should try to focus on holistic urban water resilience as China does with its Sponge City Program and that China should take a cue from India’s contractual and tender-based private service sourcing methods to tide over its financial setbacks in order to achieve its ambitious targets for 2030.

A Systematic Review of Social Media and Government in the Social Science Discipline

“…Engagement in meaningful ways in the decision-making process increases the likelihood that the general public's participation will legitimise the government's use of social media (Reggi & Gil-Garcia, 2021). The inability of governments in numerous undeveloped nations throughout the globe to create social media is caused by the poor engagement of civil society in development and security (Kumar, Liu, Narayanasamydamodaran, & Pandey, 2021). The work of advocacy and community organisations has profoundly impacted both the government and social media (Dekker, Engbersen, Klaver, & Vonk, 2018).…”

Review of Urban Flood Resilience: Insights from Scientometric and Systematic Analysis

“…In urban flood risk assessment, hydrometeorological risk assessment (HMR) and other different methods, including open data [ 52 ], multi-source remote-sensing precipitation products [ 53 ], and GIS and other software, can be used. In addition, principal component analysis [ 54 ], the extremum theorem, functional data analysis and other computational [ 55 ], mathematical and statistical methods [ 24 ], along with the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process and meta-analyses [ 56 ], can be used to study urban flood resilience. In 2014, Revi A et al considered the adaptation capacity of cities in the world to climate change and discussed the risk level of factors driving short-term and long-term climate impacts [ 57 ].…”

Determining the Efficiency of the Sponge City Construction Pilots in China Based on the DEA-Malmquist Model

“…Before applying to build an SPC, it is necessary to conduct a self-examination of the economic level of the city, design and propose a reasonable construction model, and ensure the high efficiency of construction and operation throughout the life cycle. In addition, according to the aim of “adopting a replicable and scalable innovation model such as technology plus capital and overall packaging” in the “Sponge City Construction Pilot City Application Guide” [ 9 , 53 , 54 ], it can be explained that the economic level and policy support of the pilots are meant to maintain the efficiency of urban-related projects. On top of that, after the pilot cities were determined in 2015 and 2016, each began to implement SCC projects according to its urban economic level, ecological and natural conditions, and the application of low-impact development technology.…”

“…The pilots have been implemented with remarkable results. During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period (2021–2025), these three ministries and commissions will undertake the job of promoting SCC systematically and comprehensively [ 9 , 10 ]. Therefore, the construction of a scientific and comprehensive evaluation system is an important guarantee of the effectiveness of SCC pilots and the systematic promotion of SCC in the whole region [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”