In order to promote scientifically based and efficient construction of the sponge city, the central government has issued successive technical guidelines for the construction of sponge city and LID rainwater system as well as performance evaluation, and proposed the assessment index for the construction of sponge city. A series of technical guidelines and policy documents have been published, such as the guidance of the General Office of the State Council on promoting the construction of sponge cities and interim provisions for the special planning of sponge cities. A pilot initiative on sponge city construction in China has already been implemented. In April 2016, it was announced that Beijing City would be one of the second-phase pilot sponge city demonstration sites in China. The Bureau of Tongzhou District Planning, Land Resources Management Committee, and Beijing Institute of Urban Planning and Design have jointly developed the “Sponge City Construction Project in Beijing Sponge City Pilot Area” to enable effective implementation of national policy requirements relating to the planning and construction of sponge cities in pilot areas. Moroever, this project will facilitate the provision of effective support for the construction of sponge cities in Beijing City.

Several approaches can be used to ensure compliance with the special planning requirements for the construction of a sponge city in Tongzhou District. These include urban planning, understanding basic conditions, and problem identification. The development of a goal and index system for the construction of the sponge city, along with a water-logging risk assessment and water environment assessment model, can be combined with typical case analysis and surface source pollution control research, constituting important research methodologies. The built-up area will be improved on the basis of problem-oriented principle, and the new development area will be constructed according to the principle that the construction of sponge city should be based on partition control and system planning. Key objiectives of this project are to improve the planning, provide solid technical support for the scientific decision making, guide the construction of sponge city in Tongzhou District, and lay a solid foundation for sustainable development in Beijing City.