Developing participation strategies for canal heritage conservation through sustainable urban drainage systems: Focusing on the Suzhou Section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal

As climate change and urbanisation exacerbate the threat of flooding to the historical heritage of the Suzhou section, it is necessary to introduce measures that reduce the negative effects of flooding while not causing irreversible impacts on the heritage. This study presents the concept of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) and uses it to explore its structural and non-structural combination of measures in conjunction with public participation. A combined quantitative-qualitative approach was adopted to examine public attitudes, awareness levels, and willingness to participate, using social media and local questionnaires. The results showed a positive correlation between the public's emphasis on the study objectives and their motivation to participate and their perceptions of the targeted heritage, stormwater hazards and stormwater management strategies. On this basis, the study identifies integrated participatory approaches that are more likely to be effective and presents them as future policy recommendations.