Women as Agents of Change: Shaping Resilience Through Sponge Cities

Disasters caused by natural hazards are one of the most urgent challenges of our time, impacting people, ecosystems, and infrastructure globally. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and sea level rise result in floods, droughts, storms, and other water-related disasters. These events disrupt water availability, compromise water quality, and threaten access to essential resources, putting lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems at risk. Women are among the most affected, facing disproportionate vulnerabilities due to social roles, responsibilities, and access to resources, services, and information. These challenges connect to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) and climate action (SDG 13). Addressing these issues requires innovative solutions that integrate diverse perspectives and foster inclusive participation, essential for achieving SDG 5 (gender equality).

The PRC is no stranger to these challenges. With its increasingly variable weather patterns and fragile ecological systems, the country faces unique vulnerabilities to natural disasters. Recent events highlight these vulnerabilities. In the summer of 2023, extreme heat and devastating floods disrupted food production, affected millions, and impacted cities nationwide. Just months later, in April 2024, heavy rains in Guangdong forced over 100,000 residents to evacuate.

Amid these crises, women often carry most of the impact. Their roles as primary caregivers and household managers make them especially vulnerable to environmental disruptions. Droughts, floods, and extreme weather not only threaten their ability to secure food, water, and fuel but also put their families’ financial stability at risk. Systemic barriers make recovery even harder for women. Many lack access to land or property ownership, limiting their ability to secure credit—an essential tool for rebuilding after disasters. They also receive less information about disaster prevention, hampering their effective response. Despite women’s critical role in sustaining households and local economies, they are frequently excluded from decision-making processes that could utilize their skills, expertise, and insights to shape more inclusive disaster responses.

Building resilience isn’t just about infrastructure; it is about people’s diverse expertise and perspectives, especially women, who are often the most affected by water-related challenges and yet are the least represented in planning and response efforts. The Climate-Resilient and Smart Urban Water Infrastructure Project is designed with this imbalance in mind, integrating women’s needs, insights and strengths as a core strategy. The project was developed in response to increasing urban flood risks, water contamination, and sanitation gaps—problems that disproportionately affect women. Rather than treat water management as a technical issue alone, the project combines engineering solutions with social inclusion, acknowledging that resilient infrastructure must be responsive to all if it is to be truly effective.

One of the project’s most forward-thinking features is the sponge city approach—an urban planning model that mimics natural ecosystems to manage stormwater sustainably.^[1] ADB’s loan supported the Chizhou sponge city subproject, which, by 2023, received $85.4 million equivalent in capital expenditure investment from SZWG, beating the target of $40 million equivalent for flood mitigation investment by 2026. This marks a significant departure from conventional “gray” infrastructure (like concrete drainage and flood channels) by offering a more adaptive, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective solution. The sponge city development mitigated flood risk in Chizhou and incorporated rainwater into the urban ecosystem through key components that that aim to reduce flood risk, improve rainwater management, increase wastewater treatment capacity include bioretention facilities, wetlands expansion, and upgraded drainage systems.

These innovations are particularly beneficial for women, who often manage water use, hygiene, and caregiving during and after flood events. By reducing flood frequency and contamination, the project directly eases the burden on women and improves household and community resilience.

In addition to flood resilience, the project also improves urban sanitation, another area where women are especially vulnerable. Subprojects like Fuyong Phase 2 and Ghushu Phase 2 processed over 117.9 million cubic meters of wastewater in 2023, benefiting over 2.3 million urban residents. This not only reduces environmental pollution but also minimizes health risks for women, who often manage household hygiene. The Nanshan water treatment plant expansion, although not supported by ADB’s loan proceeds, pushed through with other sources of capital. It aimed to provide high-quality direct drinking water to 1.8 million people in Nanshan District upon full completion.

Crucially, the project isn’t just building resilient infrastructure—it is building resilient leadership. Backed by a Gender Action Plan supported by ADB, women are supported to increase their engagement as decision makers through

1. workforce inclusion — promoting women’s entry into technical and leadership roles in the water sector;
2. skills development — providing hands-on training in sponge city technologies and climate-smart water management; and
3. knowledge platforms — creating spaces for women to share experiences and shape urban water strategies.

By positioning women as planners, engineers, and advocates, the project not only responds to women’s immediate needs but empowers them to shape both short-term responses and long-term solutions.

The program successfully achieved its intended outcome of expanding climate-resilient and smart urban water management in the PRC. For example, the Chizhou subproject significantly improved annual runoff and rainwater reuse through green stormwater infrastructure and drainage network renovations. It also contributed to gender-responsive water infrastructure, such as the water pipe upgrade program, which increased water pressure for residents on higher floors and improved water supply stability. This has reduced the time women spend purchasing water, easing their daily responsibilities.

Furthermore, the Gender Action Plan advanced women’s inclusion in the water sector, promoting their entry into technical and leadership roles. The number of women promoted to mid- and senior-level management at SZWG rose from 3 in 2019 to 12 in 2023. Ms. Binhong Ji, Vice President of SZWG and a PhD-holder in water engineering, emerged as a key figure in this transformation. As a working mother and senior leader, she championed policies promoting equal care responsibilities in the family, including a 10-day Childcare Leave policy—one of the first of its kind in Shenzhen—supported by national policy guideline shifts.

Professional development remained a focus, with 35% of participants in career advancement training being women. These programs were delivered through the Shenzhen Water Academy, which offers over 60 specialized courses on sponge city and smart water technologies.

Knowledge-sharing efforts also integrated gender considerations. In 2021 and 2022, 2,226 participants attended resilience-focused events (35% and 30% women, respectively). A gender sensitive knowledge product was also developed.

SZWG further prioritized mental health, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to rising stress levels, the women’s committee collaborated with HR to provide subsidized psychological counseling services by contracting external professionals, with 62% of users being women as of the end of 2023, reinforcing the company's commitment to holistic employee well-being. 

Unintended benefits included improved workplace culture and broader recognition of SZWG as a model for inclusive water sector reform. Overall, the program exceeded expectations, delivering measurable impact and offering a replicable model for women-inclusive urban water management.

One of the strongest success factors behind SZWG’s gender action plan was leadership commitment, particularly from senior champions like Vice President Ji, who modeled inclusive leadership and advocated for key reforms such as the Childcare Leave policy.

Another key enabler was the Women’s Committee, which acted as an internal driver for change. By working closely with HR and the Labor Union, the committee translated employee needs into concrete actions—such as the successful launch of subsidized psychological counseling during the pandemic. This responsiveness built trust and ensured that such initiatives were grounded in workforce needs.

Setting measurable targets for women in leadership also proved effective in raising awareness and accountability, particularly in a sector with historically low female representation.

What could have made this even stronger? Formalizing these successes into policy. Making inclusion targets part of official HR practices, like setting leadership benchmarks, would help ensure long-term progress, not just one-time wins.

Inclusion should not be isolated to certain departments or administrative roles. Women have a crucial role to play in water management itself. At SZWG, female staff are increasingly involved in technical training, innovation, and knowledge-sharing on sponge city development and smart water systems. Their growing presence in technical roles has improved outcomes and sparked more holistic, community-minded solutions.

Key takeways for other organizations

• Find and empower visible champions who can push for bold, practical reforms.
• Establish women-led groups to keep inclusion efforts grounded in staff needs.
• Turn early wins into long-term policy—think beyond awareness and into accountability.
• Actively involve women in innovation, decision-making and technical fields.
• Support employee well-being, not as an add-on, but as a foundation for inclusive culture.

When women are empowered—not only in the workplace but also as decision-makers and innovators in the water sector —they become powerful agents of change. SZWG’s experience shows that by investing in women’s leadership, both within the organization and across the sector, it’s possible to drive smarter solutions and build more resilient cities. This is how resilience is built—through inclusive leadership and smart urban water systems shaped by diverse voices.

^[1] SZWG’s sponge city development is guided by modeling of surface water, weather patterns, drainage systems, and groundwater. It involves low-impact development techniques such as the use of wetlands, permeable pavements, rainwater gardens, green roofs, storage facilities, wastewater reuse, and managed aquifer recharge.

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