Stormwater management model based cost-benefit analysis of integrated grey-green infrastructure scenarios

Highlights

	● SWMM was used to evaluate 15 scenarios and to compare their various benefits.
	● Temperature and humidity regulation accounted for over 88% of the total benefits.
	● All gray-green scenarios had positive net benefits in a 30-year operational period.
	● Scenario 9 had the highest net benefit of 1957.7 million yuan.

Abstract

This study promotes the integration of ecological green infrastructure with traditional gray infrastructure to tackle urban water management challenges and safety issues. Using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), we simulated runoff control in Beijing Tongzhou District Sponge City Pilot Area across 15 gray-green infrastructure scenarios and identified the optimal strategy through a cost-benefit analysis focusing on scenarios that meet runoff control standards. A cost-benefit evaluation framework was developed for gray-green infrastructure projects, employing payback period and net present value methods to assess cost-effectiveness. Findings revealed notable operational benefits, particularly in temperature and humidity regulation, which accounted for 88% of the total benefits. A standout scenario with a rapid payback period of 7.16 years and a net benefit of 1957.7 million yuan was highlighted. The research provides a holistic assessment, integrating environmental, ecological, and economic aspects of gray-green infrastructure, offering insights for effective green infrastructure deployment and evaluation in sponge city construction.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Green infrastructure / Life cycle assessment / Stormwater management model / Cost-benefit analysis / Sponge city

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Conflicts of Interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52200218, 72321002, and 52293445); the State Key Laboratory of Regional Environment and Sustainability (No. 24K07ESPCT).

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-025-1982-y and is accessible for authorized users.

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