Guangdong Ecological Way: An Evolution of Greenway and Sponge City

Under the background of ecological civilization construction, China's river system governance has reached a new level. In recent years, Guangdong Province has combined past experiences in water management and proposed the construction of the Ecological Way. This paper introduces the development of the Ecological Way, sponge city, and greenway, and analyzes their similarities and differences from a theoretical perspective in terms of concepts and construction objectives. The functions of the Ecological Way were analyzed, and the planning and design of the Ecological Way were discussed. A discussion was conducted, and several suggestions were derived. The research findings indicate that the Ecological Way and sponge city share common construction objectives in terms of water resources, water security, and water environment. The Ecological Way and greenway also share similar functions in terms of ecology, economy, and culture. However, the concept of the Ecological Way is completely different from that of sponge city, as the Ecological Way also undertakes the construction objectives of water ecology, water economy, and water culture. While the Ecological Way and greenway have similar functions, the Ecological Way bears greater ecological responsibilities, and their respective responsibilities and authorities differ.