Abstract: Climate change and rapid urbanization have modified the process of urban eco-hydrologic cycle, aggravating urban problems such as water shortage, water environment pollution, water ecology destruction, and rainstorm flood disaster. This paper presents a systematic summary of the core indexes and control points of sponge city construction in new and rebuilt urban areas with different planning objectives, to obtain the spatial optimal allocation scheme and multi-objective cost-benefit optimal curve of a system coupling low impact development (LID) facilities or green infrastructure (GI) with urban gray infrastructures. Aimed at the existing issues in research, a regional optimal allocation pattern of rainwater infrastructure is constructed, comprising three major parts–performance index database of rainwater infrastructure, cost-benefit quantification, and computer aided decision-making. The key parameters and performance indexes of typical LID facilities in numerical calculation and model simulation are discussed. Then, the method of quantifying sponge city construction with cost and benefit indexes is analyzed by applying the theory of environmental economics. Finally, multi-objective intelligent optimization schemes are explored for improving urban water environment, water ecology, water resources, and water security with limited cost input. Meanwhile, model simulations are combined to realize the virtuous cycle and sustainable development of urban ecology and hydrology.

Key words: Sponge city, Low impact development, Database, Benefit quantification, Optimization algorithm