A Conceptual Framework for Classification Management of Contaminated Sites in Guangzhou, China

Contaminated sites have become a worldwide issue because of significant environmental and health risks to users of the land. With the aim of synthesizing useful services delivered by land reuse for environmental, social and economic benefits, effective management measures have been taken nationally and regionally to rehabilitate contaminated sites. The unacceptable risks, large number of contaminated sites and urgent demand for land supply make it necessary to centralize limited resources within contaminated sites. In reference to the classification rationale in developed countries trying to deal with contaminated sites in an integrated, saving and timely manner, we design a conceptual framework that considers the unique context in China. We classify contaminated sites in five steps, namely: listing, investigating, filing, classifying and managing. Based on the classification results, effective suggestions are proposed for graded and classified management and further decision-making at the highest level of design. The results show that potential contaminated sites can be divided into high, medium and low priority based on four factors (social concern, redevelopment demand, health risk and ecological risk). Site-specific management strategies focusing on environmental monitoring, detailed site survey and immediate remediation, respectively, are suggested that focus on corresponding contaminated sites in different priorities. The feasibility and reliability of the proposed framework are further discussed in the final section.