Chongqing: Where growth meets green

Chongqing in southwestern China is a pleasant surprise to any visitor — quintessentially Chinese yet cosmopolitan, too.

- By IRIS GONZALES

One can choose a favorite photo backdrop from the estimated 14,000 to 20,000 bridges in this city dubbed the Bridge Capital of the World, or enjoy its gastronomic adventures centered on mostly hot dishes.

But Chongqing is also so much more than that. It is a concrete example of how growth and sustainability can go hand in hand.

I was part of a delegation from The STAR, led by our president and CEO Miguel Belmonte and editor-in-chief Amy Pamintuan, that visited the city last month and saw some of these sustainability efforts.

‘Sponge City’

Home to 30 million people, Chongqing, for instance, is recognized for its sponge city concept.

To address flooding, a problem in many Chinese cities, Chongqing has turned to rain gardens, permeable pavements and retention ponds, systems which absorb rainwater.

In 2023, Chongqing’s first demonstration “sponge” garden opened to the public in the city’s Yubei District, marking another step toward its embrace of the concept, according to a report by China Daily.

“The garden, which is part of Chongqing Central Park, covers an area of about 700 square meters and is equipped with sustainable water systems that can collect and purify rainwater runoff from approximately 2,000 sqm of impermeable ground in a nearby plaza, according to the Chongqing Municipal Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.