Urban Innovations: An Integrated Approach to Environmental Improvement: Rehabilitation of Qinhuai River in Nanjing

Abstract

Nanjing is a historic city in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that intermittently served as the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) capital during several of its ruling dynasties. Today, Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu province, and is one of the most important industrial, commercial, and cultural centers of the Yangtze River Delta. Nanjing currently has 4.9 million urban inhabitants with a per capita gross domestic product of $6,500, and boasts a total of 500 square kilometers of developed urban area. Qinhuai River, which is a branch of the Yangtze River, is a major waterway passing through Nanjing. Cultural facilities as well as residential and commercial areas have been developed and redeveloped over centuries along Nanjing’s riverbanks. Qinhuai River is not just simply a waterway. It is the center of numerous historical events reflected in the classic masterpieces of literature from the PRC. Over the past several decades, rapid industrialization and urbanization of this area have been accompanied by increasingly severe water pollution. Qinhuai River and its once glorious riverbanks have thus deteriorated because of discharge of industrial and municipal wastewater, dumping of solid waste, and development of slums along the riverbanks.