Research Center for Eco-Environmental Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China.
School of Architecture & Urban Planning, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
Environ Sci Technol. 2021 May 4;55(9):6430-6439. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.1c01202. Epub 2021 Apr 23.
Urban agglomerations are a primary spatial focus of socioeconomic activity and inherently include large volumes of embodied water. We have applied the concept of water metabolism health to comprehensively evaluate the overall operation of water systems in urban agglomerations and propose an innovative assessment framework. In particular, we constructed a water metabolism network (WMN) model to simulate a water system in which different cities and sectors are integrated, combining a newly compiled multiregional input-output (MRIO) table of water flow with ecological network analysis (ENA). A case study considering the Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban agglomeration in 2015 demonstrates that its network is well synergic but highly dependent, with considerable negative effects. Highly developed cities in southeastern of the PRD exhibit higher embodied water productivity and robustness but impose considerable negative effects on the water system. We found the agricultural sector to be a dominant controller of the network; the construction and service sectors represent the primary beneficiaries with strong competition. We suggest measures at various scales to improve water utilization efficiency and promote positive interactions between components, thus improving water metabolism system health for urban agglomerations.
城市群是社会经济活动的主要空间焦点，固有地包含大量的体现水。我们将水代谢健康的概念应用于全面评估城市群的水系统整体运行情况，并提出了一种创新的评估框架。特别是，我们构建了一个水代谢网络（WMN）模型，以模拟不同城市和部门整合的水系统，将新编制的多区域投入产出（MRIO）水流表与生态网络分析（ENA）相结合。以 2015 年珠江三角洲（PRD）城市群为例的案例研究表明，其网络具有良好的协同作用但高度依赖，具有相当大的负面影响。PRD 东南部高度发达的城市表现出较高的体现水生产力和稳健性，但对水系统造成了相当大的负面影响。我们发现农业部门是网络的主要控制者；建设和服务业是主要受益者，具有很强的竞争力。我们建议在各个层面采取措施提高水利用效率，促进各组成部分之间的积极互动，从而提高城市群的水代谢系统健康。
