Challenges to Sustainability of Resource-exhausted Cities: A Case Study of Lengshuijiang, China

Resource-based cities were once the backbone of Chinese economy for decades. When natural resources were depleted, however, these cities become negative assets of China and urgently need sustainable transition. Given the vast number of resource-exhausted cities in China, their success transitions not only mean much to themselves but also have great implications on China’s sustainability. Taking Lengshuijiang, one of the 67 resource-exhausted cities of China, as a case, this article investigated sustainable transition of resource-exhausted cities in Chinese context. Firstly, we reviewed the development problems it faces in the past two decades. Secondly, we examined the countermeasures it took since 2009. Although this article mainly focuses on Lengshuijiang, the findings and discussion will provide insights for other resource-exhausted cities of China and other parts of the word in reviewing their development strategies as most of them are facing similar sustainable challenges.