GIS-Based Construction Management Framework for Sponge City Infrastructure: A Comparative Study for Xiamen and Izmir

Abstract

This research presents a Geographic Information System-based Construction Management Framework (GIS-CMF) for sponge city infrastructure under ecological and spatial constraints, applied comparatively to İzmir (Türkiye) and Xiamen (China). United States Environmental Protection Agency Storm Water Management Model Software (EPA SWMM 5.2.4) simulations (Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency-NSE = 0.71–0.78) project a model-suggested potential improvement in the range of 15–25 percentage points in Annual Runoff Volume Capture Ratio for three İzmir pilot catchments, subject to field validation. Spatial autocorrelation analysis confirms statistically significant impermeable surface clusters. Institutional comparison through learning curve and barrier analysis explains implementation velocity differences without direct statistical equivalence claims. Eight transferable GIS-CMF principles are derived for construction project managers across contrasting institutional and geographical contexts.

Keywords

• Sponge city
• geographic information systems (GIS)
• construction management
• low-impact development (LID)
• urban resilience

Project Number

2302880001

References

1. IPCC, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2021. DOI: 10.1017/9781009157896.
2. IPCC, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2022. DOI: 10.1017/9781009325844.
3. Yu, K., Li, D., Yuan, H., Fu, W., Qiao, Q., Wang, S., Sponge City: Theory and Practice. City Planning Review, 39(6), 26–36, 2015. DOI: 10.11819/cpr20150605a.
4. Chan, F.K.S., Griffiths, J.A., Higgitt, D., Xu, S., Zhu, F., Tang, Y., Xu, Y., Thorne, C.R., Sponge City in China: A breakthrough of planning and flood risk management in the urban context. Land Use Policy, 76, 772–778, 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.03.005.
5. İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi, Sünger Kent İzmir Proje Tanıtım Belgesi, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Publication, İzmir, 2022. Available: https://sungerkent.izmir.bel.tr (accessed 2024-10-01).
6. Tunçay Eşbah, H., Sünger Kentlere Geçiş: Türkiye'de Kentsel Su Sorununun Yönetimi. Peyzaj Mimarlığı Dergisi, 14(1), 22–31, 2021. DOI: 10.26655/PEYZAJMIMARLIGIDERGISI.2021.1.3.
7. Fletcher, T.D., et al., SUDS, LID, BMPs, WSUD and More: The Evolution and Application of Terminology Surrounding Urban Drainage. Urban Water Journal, 12(7), 525–542, 2015. DOI: 10.1080/1573062X.2014.916314.
8. Eckart, K., McPhee, Z., Bolisetti, T., Performance and Implementation of Low Impact Development: A Review. Science of the Total Environment, 607–608, 413–432, 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.122.

9. Wang, J., et al., Matching Analysis of Investment Structure and Urban Inundation Control Function of Sponge Cities in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 266, 121584, 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121584.
10. Sun, C., et al., Optimized Resilience Coupled with Cost-Effectiveness for Grey and Green Infrastructure. Ecological Indicators, 167, 112684, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112684.
11. Yang, S.S., Ding, J., SCC-UEFAS: An Urban-Ecological-Feature Based Assessment System for Sponge City Construction. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, 11, 100188, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2022.100188.
12. Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 7th ed., PMI, Newtown Square, PA, 2021. ISBN: 978-1628256642.
13. Hwang, B.G., Zhao, X., Tan, L.L.G., Green Building Projects: How Do Experienced Contractors Become Greener? Management of Environmental Quality, 26(3), 2015. DOI: 10.1108/MEQ-04-2014-0065.
14. Nguyen, T.T., et al., Implementation of a New Porous Biochar Media in a Hybrid Sponge City System. Bioresource Technology, 272, 465–472, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.10.049.
15. Li, H., Ding, L., Ren, M., Li, C., Wang, H., Sponge City Construction in China: A Survey of the Challenges and Opportunities. Water, 9(9), 594, 2017. DOI: 10.3390/w9090594.
16. Hou, J., Mao, H., Li, J., Sun, S., Spatial Simulation of the Ecological Processes of Stormwater for Sponge Cities. Journal of Environmental Management, 232, 574–584, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.087.
17. Lucko, G., Spatial Scheduling: Synthesis of Four Decades of Research. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 145(11), 04019066, 2019. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001710.
18. Bao, Y., Du, H., Huang, Z., Ren, S., Yin, G., Mao, R., A GIS-Based Platform for Efficient Governance of Illegal Land Use and Construction: A Case Study of Xiamen City. Land, 15(2), 209, 2026. DOI: 10.3390/land15020209.
19. Liang, X., Sponge City+ Toolkit: Parametric Approaches for Sustainable Water Management and Urban Design. Sustainability, 17(21), 9485, 2025. DOI: 10.3390/su17219485.
20. Anselin, L., Local Indicators of Spatial Association — LISA. Geographical Analysis, 27(2), 93–115, 1995. DOI: 10.1111/j.1538-4632.1995.tb00338.x.
21. Meerow, S., Newell, J.P., Stults, M., Defining Urban Resilience: A Review. Landscape and Urban Planning, 147, 38–49, 2016. DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.11.011.
22. Bertilsson, L., et al., Urban Flood Resilience — A Multi-Criteria Index to Integrate Flood Resilience into Urban Planning. Journal of Hydrology, 573, 970–982, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.03.045.
23. Tabari, H., Climate Change Impact on Flood and Extreme Precipitation Increases with Water Availability. Scientific Reports, 10, 13768, 2020. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70816-2.
24. Li, J., et al., Improving Urban Flood Resilience through Sponge City Construction: Evidence from China. Frontiers in Earth Science, 10, 2022. DOI: 10.3389/feart.2022.859501.
25. Ergunay, O., A Perspective of Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation in Türkiye. Proceedings of the 2007 Regional Workshop on Best Practices in Disaster Mitigation, Famagusta, Cyprus, 2007.
26. Chikhi, F., Li, C., Ji, Q., Zhou, X., Review of Sponge City Implementation in China: Performance and Policy. Water Science and Technology, 88(10), 2499–2520, 2023. DOI: 10.2166/wst.2023.345.
27. Flyvbjerg, B., Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245, 2006. DOI: 10.1177/1077800405284363.
28. Faulkner, D., Shehu, Z., Managing the Complexity of Large Infrastructure Projects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 22(2), 2015. DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-11-2014-0145.
29. North, D.C., Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990. ISBN: 978-0521397346.
30. Yin, R.K., Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods, 6th ed., SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2018. ISBN: 978-1506336169.
31. Xu, T., Jia, H., Wang, Z., Mao, X., Xu, C., SWMM-Based Methodology for Block-Scale LID-BMPs Planning. Frontiers of Environmental Science and Engineering, 11(4), 1, 2017. DOI: 10.1007/s11783-017-0934-6.
32. İZSU (İzmir Su ve Kanalizasyon İdaresi), İzmir Yağmursuyu Altyapı Değerlendirme Raporu 2019–2023, İZSU Technical Report, İzmir, 2023.
33. Liang, X., Su, D., Li, Y., Zhang, J., Research on Key Design Elements of LID-Based Sponge City Construction. Sustainability, 12(4), 1452, 2020. DOI: 10.3390/su12041452.
34. İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi, Sünger Kent İzmir Pilot Projeler Teknik Uygulama Kılavuzu, İzmir, 2023. Available: https://sungerkent.izmir.bel.tr (accessed 2024-10-15).
35. İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi, CLIMAAX — İklime Hazır İzmir: Direçlilik Stratejilerinin Geliştirilmesi (CRIZ-ERS) Projesi, İzmir, 2024. Available: https://climaax.eu (accessed 2024-11-01).
36. Xiamen Bureau of Statistics, Xiamen Statistical Yearbook 2023, China Statistics Press, Beijing, 2023.
37. Wilson, J., Sponge City: Solutions for China's Thirsty and Flooded Cities. New Security Beat, Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington D.C., 2017.
38. Fu, H., Tian, F., Zhang, Y., Exploration of Sponge City Construction in China from the Perspective of Typical Cases. Frontiers in Earth Science, 11, 1238203, 2023. DOI: 10.3389/feart.2023.1238203.
39. Antalya Büyükşehir Belediyesi, LIFE-IP ClimAction Antalya — İklim Eylem Planı, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality / EU LIFE Programme, Antalya, 2023. Available: https://climactionantalya.eu (accessed 2024-11-15).
40. Ministry of Finance / MOHURD / MWR, Notice on Organisation and Implementation of Pilot Sponge City Construction, General Office of the State Council, Beijing, 2015.
41. Zhang, X., Guo, X., Hu, M., Hydrological Effect of Typical Urban Stormwater Best Management Practices in Xiamen, China. Natural Hazards, 84(3), 2007–2021, 2016. DOI: 10.1007/s11069-016-2532-0.
42. Li, H., Ding, L., Ren, M., Li, C., Wang, H., China's Sponge City Construction: A Discussion on Technical Approaches. Frontiers of Environmental Science and Engineering, 11(6), 1–8, 2017. DOI: 10.1007/s11783-017-0939-1.
43. Xia, J., Zhang, Y., Xiong, L., He, S., Wang, L., Yu, Z., Opportunities and Challenges of the Sponge City Construction Related to Urban Water Issues in China. Science China Earth Sciences, 60(4), 652–658, 2017. DOI: 10.1007/s11430-016-0111-8.
44. Shao, W., et al., Carbon Reduction Effects of Sponge City Construction: A Case Study of Xiamen. Energy Procedia, 152, 1145–1151, 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2018.09.152.
45. Credit Valley Conservation & Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (2010). Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Planning and Design Guide. Ontario.
46. Metro Water Services, Nashville (2021). Stormwater Management Manual, Volume 5 – Green Infrastructure Practices. Nashville, TN.
47. Muerdter, C.P. et al. (2016). Vegetation and media characteristics of an effective bioretention cell. Water Environment Research, 88(12).
48. Mei, C., et al., Integrated Assessment of Green Infrastructure for Flood Mitigation. Science of the Total Environment, 639, 1422–1431, 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.199.
49. Wang, R., Wu, H., Chiles, R., Ecosystem Benefits Provision of Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Chinese Sponge Cities. Environmental Management, 69(3), 558–579, 2022. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-021-01581-7.
50. Zhou, Q., Leng, G., Su, J., Shen, Y., Comparison of Urbanisation and Climate Change Impacts on Urban Flood Volumes. Science of the Total Environment, 658, 24–33, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.184.
51. Yuan, X., Li, Y., Sun, H., Progress on Sponge City Construction in China: Challenges and Opportunities. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 8(1), 2022. DOI: 10.1080/20964129.2022.2090398.