Cheonggyecheon Stream, River That Revives in South Korea

[Cheonggyecheon Flyover]//Preservation Institute/

In 1958, Seoul City government relocated residents and closed the Cheonggyecheon Stream. For 20 years the Cheonggyecheon Stream was closed and on on top of that a flyover was built in South Korea, known as the Cheonggyechon Flyover or Cheonggyecheon freeway. The Cheonggyecheon Flyover was finally completed in 1976 with a length of 5.6 kilometers and a width of 15 meters. 

At this time, Seoul began to enter a period of industrialization and modernization where the Cheonggyecheon Freeway was used as a symbol of the success of this development. However, in the late 1980s, congested roads were seen as the cause of poor air quality and environmental degradation. Furthermore, Cheonggyecheon stated as the city's fault line separating the dynamic southern area of the road from the lagging and less competitive northern area. Moreover, the Cheonggyecheon Freeway often jammed, the supporting poles began to be damaged and eroded, as a result the maintenance was very expensive for 30 years.

The River Which Has Beginning to Restored Again

[Revitalization of Cheonggyecheon Stream]/Koreabridge.net

During Mayor Lee Myung-bak's reign, he promised to bring back the Cheonggyecheon Stream as a green area. However, the plan was met with rejection because it was considered a waste, until the issue of modern transportation which requires a lot of roads. But unfortunately, Lee Myung-Bak was adamant. He keeps tearing down the overpass that has been built for nearly 20 years. He believes that this project will not only beautify the city, but as a sustainable development that will enhance Korea's image worldwide.

The revitalization began with cleaning the river water and building pumping stations to drain water from the Han River because the water in the Cheonggyecheon Stream was almost dry. Then created public spaces and green open spaces in the form of a linear garden with a land area of 400 hectares. Continued construction of a pedestrian road connecting the two sides of the river was built. There are 22 bridges built over the river, 7 of which are specifically for pedestrians. This revitalization takes approximately 2 years.

Green Open Space Area

[The New Beginning of Cheonggyecheon Stream]/development.asia

The environmental benefits of this revitalized river are enormous. First is improved air quality: Air pollution has decreased from 74 micrograms per cubic meter to 48 around rivers. Aside from that, the micro climate which derive from the river serve as natural air conditioning: the temperature in the river corridor is 3-4oC lower from an area only 400 meters away, and the average wind speed is 50% higher than before the river was revitalized. 

This is very important for climate adaptation, as well as increasing flood resistance when cities have open waterways. Not only that, the population of natural ecology also increases, such as birds, fish, insects and plants. Based on a 2009 report, the number of bird species in the river corridor increased from 6 to 36, fish species from 4 to 25, and insect species from 15 to 192. The river area has a green corridor which is 8 km long and 730 meters wide, with a 400 hectare garden, waterfalls, bridges, and running tracks.

The Remaining Pillars on The Other Side of Cheonggyecheon Stream

One piece history from Cheonggyecheon StreamTwitter (Erlangga Gilang P status)

From Nothing to Extraordinary Cheonggyecheon Stream

Sometimes, for a good decision we must dare to get out from comfort zone :)/Koreabridge.net

Finally, a Beautiful Cheonggyecheon Stream :)

Cheonggyecheon Stream that shines all day long/greatruns.com