Economic evaluation of the Sponge City program in China: Case study of Changde city

For tackling the problems of city flood and water pollution, the Sponge City program was established in 2014. Although the Sponge City program is newly established, it exacerbates hot disputes in the Chinese academic research field. Currently, whether the constructed and in-progress projects of the Sponge City program are economically feasible is still an open question. The paper carries out an intensive economic analysis on the Chuan project, which is a demo project in the Sponge City program in China. Through examining all economic, environmental and social cost and benefits of the Chuan project, it is found that the total benefits caused by the project is much more than the total cost. It means the water projects in the Sponge City program are deserved to be promoted in China. However, no sustainable income to cover the O & M cost of the project, which can hamper the project’s sustainable operation.