The Cheonggyecheon restoration project, championed by the Mayor Lee Myung Bak and completed in 2005, had several key objectives all aimed at improving the city of Seoul, transforming it into a city of culture and environment, thus restoring the dignity of the Korean people.
Importantly the project was necessary to rectify the severe public safety hazard posed by the highway which threatened to collapse due to its poor state of repair.
The concrete covering up the stream and the elevated highway built, respectively, in 1958 and 1971, were getting too old, and thus some concerns regarding their safety had been expressed. However, the vast expenditure necessary to repair the concrete covering and to remedy the safety problems on the plate and piers of the covered structures and highway meant an alternative solution was necessary.
In the Cheonggyecheon area, located on the north side of the Hangang River, there were several unsightly buildings, affecting the overall appearance of the city. With the momentum gained from the restoration work, it was intended that the City of Seoul would promote commerce with new business centres setting up a balance in the development of the two sectors located on both sides of the Hangang. This development included the improvement of downtown, with the intention of improving the quality of life of its inhabitants and reducing the socioeconomic disparities between the northern and southern parts of the city.
Furthermore, the project sought to restore the history of Seoul, paying tribute to the history of the 600 year old Korean capital and key to regaining Korea’s pride as a nation.
Through the restoration of historical relics such as the Gwangtong-gwo Bridge (the first stone bridge built in the Joseon Dynasty), it was hoped the people would regain the past pride of the nation and its traditional culture would be restored.
Gwangtong-gwo Bridge
However, the project carried two contradictory purposes: heritage conservation versus urban development.
Congestion was a particular issue for Seoul due to its large population, with almost half of Korea’s population living in the capital region. As a result, a key aim of the project was to reduce the high levels of transport congestion and air pollution produced within the city by augmenting the number of pedestrians.
Image illustrating high volumes of trafffic
Adopting the concept of environmentally sound and sustainable development for the harmony between development and environment conservation, the restoration work for Cheonggyecheon was focused on shifting to the paradigm for a sustainable urban development for Seoul. As Lee In-keun, Seoul’s assistant mayor for infrastructure, later stated, ‘we’ve basically gone from a car-orientated city to a human orientated city’.
Prior to the commencement of work on the Cheonggyecheon, the New York Times stated, ‘The restoration of the Cheonggyecheon is part of an expanding environmental effort in cities around the world to “daylight” rivers and streams by peeling back pavement that was built to bolster commerce and serve automobile traffic decades ago’.
The restoration of Cheonggyecheon was intended to improve the image of Seoul both visually and as an eco-friendly city through sustainable development. It was important to ensure a clean water flow and a clean environment in which both nature and mankind could coexist in harmony.
