While the sponge city construction initiative is drawing attentions and fast spreading in China, some challenges and risks remain. This research surveyed some pilot cities and identified a broad array of challenges from technical, physical, regulatory, financial to community, and institutional. The survey results show that challenges may appear in various shapes, scales, and degrees depending on geographical locations, socio-economic context, and other conditions; however, certain common themes exhibit throughout the survey results. The most dominant challenges involve uncertainties and risks. To resolve the issues, this study also identified various gateways to improve China's sponge city construction, and recommendations are proposed including urging local governments to adopt sponge city regulations and permits to alleviate water quality and urban pluvial flooding, fully measuring and accounting of economic and environmental benefits, embracing regional flexibility and results-oriented approaches, and focusing on wider range of funding resources for sponge city construction. Coordination among other government agencies is critical, and this is true at all levels of government. Only through greater coordination, education, and broader funding could sponge city construction be advanced meaningfully and sustainably.
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