Cheonggyecheon Stream, River That Revives in South Korea

From a slum river to a green and environmentally friendly river. At first glance, maybe no one would have thought that this beautiful and shady river area has a lot of history as well as interesting facts that brought about major changes in urban planning in South Korea. Cheonggyecheon [청계천] or commonly known as Cheonggyecheon Stream, a river that stretches almost 11 km in the city of Seoul is one example of South Korea's success in improving the quality of life and environmental quality by returning the river back to its original function.

From a former flyover into a green belt area that combines four zones: history, urban, cultural, and nature. Cheonggyecheon is the beginning of the movement to revitalize the wider of Seoul City, which has benefited from eliminating the gap between the southern and northern regions of the river. The success of the Cheonggyecheon Stream restoration has had a worldwide effect. This project has become a reference for many cities and countries regarding the use of existing assets with due regard to ecology, environmental quality and urban sustainability.

Cheonggyecheon gives an answer to the controversial debate in urban planning among those who emphasize vehicle-oriented cities and those who believed cities should be more pedestrian-friendly.

Already Exists Since Joseon's Era

[Cheonggyecheon Stream at Joseon's Era]/Koreabridge.net

The 11 km long flowing river was originally named Gaecheon (meaning open flow) after the first restoration project to build a drainage system in the Joseon Dynasty. The project also focused on dredging and strengthening river banks and building bridges, and was carried out every 2-3 years since the reign of King Taejong, the third king of the Joseon Dynasty. Then during the reign of King Yeonjo, the restoration work was carried out specifically as a national project. The name Gaecheon was renamed Cheonggyecheon (until now) when Korea was under Japanese rule. During this period, financial distress became an obstacle for The Japanese Imperial troops to cover the river flow, despite various attempts.

[Cheonggyecheon Stream when Occupied by Immigrants]/Koreabridge.net

A Picture of Past Poverty in South Korea

The Cheonggyecheon Stream is a residential area for immigrants who want to try their luck in the capital city. After the Korean War (1950 - 1953), many immigrants who migrated to Seoul to earned money and stayed along the river in shabby temporary houses, even the river flow was used by residents as landfills, this made the river polluted and gave off an unpleasant odor. This condition is exacerbated by the large amount of garbage, sand, and waste along the river that spoils the city view making the face of Seoul City even worse.

From Rivers to Flyover

[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

Articles and Photos Reference:

Arsitek Kemarin Sore,  (Article)

Kompas.com

Medcom.id,  (Article)