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Prof. Xiaochang Wang discusses outlook of China’s Sponge Cities in The Source magazine
Updated on June 2, 2017
The construction of "Sponge cities" proposed by China's president, Xi Jinping, has attracted the interest of international water environment professionals. The cover story of the recent issue of The Source magazine, which is published by International Water Association (IWA), focused on the topic of "The Hard Road to ‘Soft’ Cities." The story specifically introduced the development of "Sponge cities" in China and discussed the opinions of both domestic and international experts on the topic. In addition, the editor of the magazine interviewed Prof. Xiaochang Wang and cited his perspective on the concept definition, funding mechanisms, policy support, popularization and application prospects.The report also discussed the research hotspot for "Sponge Cities" in China (click to download the report of The Source magazine for more information).
The IWA is a knowledge hub for the water environment, connecting water professionals across the world to find solutions to global water challenges. As a network of water professionals and companies, IWA has a membership comprising researchers, utilities, consultants, industry, and regulators from over 100 countries. Prof. Wang is academically active and has delivered over 30 invited and keynote speeches at international conferences. He was nominated IWA Fellow in 2011 and IWA Distinguished Fellow in 2014. Prof. Wang is engaged in the research of urban wastewater treatment and ecological recycling. He is the proponent of the concept of "Urban Water Cycle Management," the practice of which earned high recognition from international water professionals. In addition, Prof. Wang served the IWA as the initiator and Member of the Steering Committee for Cities of the Future Program, Chairman of the IWA Alternative Water Resources Cluster-China Chapter, and Vice-Chairman of the IWA Membrane Technology Task Force-China Chapter. At the IWA World Water Congress held every two years, Prof. Wang was, respectively, appointed as member and Co-Chair of the IWA Program Committee in 2014 and 2016. At the beginning of 2017, Prof. Wang was elected as IWA Fellow Steering Committee Member and is responsible for the recommendation and selection of IWA Fellows around the world. Prof. Wang led the establishment of the International Science & Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development (Int’l AWR Center) in cooperation with IWA, which was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology, China in October 2015. The Centre has since developed into an international cooperation platform for urban rainwater and wastewater resource utilization and construction of "Sponge cities."
The Source on "Sponge Cities"