During the rapid urbanization of the past decades, cities have generally faced problems such as insufficient protection and reservation of natural water bodies and natural retention spaces, and excessive hardening of urban surfaces. Coupled with insufficient investment in urban drainage and waterlogging prevention facilities, these issues have made urban waterlogging more prominent, with the phenomenon of "watching the sea in the city" occurring repeatedly during flood seasons. The concept of sponge city construction is a new approach that comprehensively considers the retention, utilization, and discharge of rainwater, and coordinates solutions to urban water shortages and waterlogging problems.

　　In recent years, Jiangxi Province has steadily implemented urban renewal actions, systematically and comprehensively promoted sponge city construction across the entire region, strengthened water environment governance, vigorously addressed issues such as urban waterlogging that greatly affect people's production and daily life, and made every effort to meet the people's aspiration for a better life.

　　43.75% of urban built-up areas gain "resilience"
　　Focusing on the annual work goal of "more than 44% of urban built-up area meeting standards, and more than 15% of county towns meeting standards," the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Jiangxi Province (hereinafter referred to as the "Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development") promptly guided localities across the province in planning sponge city construction projects. Following the principles of "whole-basin management and control, all-round standard setting, whole-process integration, and full-region rollout," and based on urban development needs, the department proceeded from functional needs such as water security, water environment, and water ecology, while also taking into account needs related to water landscape and water culture. It organically integrated sponge city construction requirements into urban renewal work, emphasized combining new projects with renovation projects and key projects with general projects, coordinated the planning of a batch of projects, established a project reserve system, and advanced project construction in an orderly manner.
　　As of the end of March, cities at the prefecture level and above across the province had completed a total of 4,133 sponge city-related projects, with a completion rate of 82.40%; a cumulative standard-compliant area of 789.30 square kilometers had been built, accounting for 43.75% of urban built-up areas.

　　Regulations and systems safeguard sponge city construction
　　Continuously improving the regulations and systems for sponge city construction, Yingtan, Nanchang, and Jiujiang have successively issued management regulations or measures for sponge city construction. For example, the "Nanchang Sponge City Construction Management Regulations" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") will officially take effect on June 1, 2024. The Regulations consist of five chapters and thirty-three articles, divided into general provisions, planning and construction, operation, maintenance and management, legal liability, and supplementary provisions. Following the approach of "strengthening planning guidance, emphasizing coordinated advancement, and implementing whole-process supervision," they further rationalize the management system and mechanisms for sponge city construction and establish, at the legal level, a mechanism for multi-departmental collaboration and linkage. Jiangxi Province has established a special technical review mechanism for sponge city construction, strengthened quality management during the construction phase, and strived to build sponge city construction projects into conscientious projects.
　　The Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development invited relevant experts to visit the three national sponge city construction demonstration cities of Yingtan, Nanchang, and Jiujiang for on-site supervision, gaining an in-depth understanding of the operation of sponge city construction work mechanisms, planning and construction control, and operation and maintenance in the demonstration cities, and verifying the completion of national demonstration work objectives, tasks, specific measures, and funding arrangements. At the same time, the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development organized the formulation of annual performance evaluation rules for Jiangxi Province's sponge city construction demonstration cities, using evaluation to promote construction and striving to ensure that sponge city projects "succeed one by one as they are built."