Cheonggyecheon is a river in Seoul, South Korea, which runs from the Gwanghwamun area in the center of the city in the west, passes through the city in the east and meets the Jungnangcheon River, and finally flows into the Hangang River in the south, with a total length of about 11 kilometers, and is one of the most important river corridors in the center of Seoul.
Cheonggyecheon, which means "clear mountain spring" in Korean, has a long history of river history dating back to the Joseon Dynasty. At the end of the 17th century, a large number of residents poured into Seoul and established residential areas on both sides of the river, and the surrounding residents continued to discharge sewage into Cheonggyecheon, which gradually became a sewage channel for the city. In the early 20th century, when the Japanese occupied Seoul, Cheonggyecheon became the border between Japanese and Korean settlements, and the pollution problem became more serious.
In the mid-20th century, the pollution problem of Cheonggyecheon seriously affected the environmental quality of the surrounding area, and it was decided to fill it in and build a viaduct above the river. The viaduct connects Sejong-bou, Samon-il-ro, and Inner Ring Road, and is one of the most important traffic arteries in downtown Seoul. During peak hours, the Cheonggyecheon Viaduct is one of the most congested roads within the city.
The construction of the viaduct quickly promoted the urban development of the area along the street. Although the sewage river has been buried, the large traffic arteries have also obscured the original ecological space. The urban environment in the Cheonggyecheon area is still poor due to the large concentration of low-quality housing, low greening rate, lack of public service facilities, and pollution caused by a large number of motor vehicles.
In order to solve the ongoing urban problems in the Cheonggyecheon area and improve the quality of space and the image of the city, Lee Myung-bak, then mayor of Seoul, came up with a bold idea: to demolish the viaduct and restore Cheonggyecheon. This has caused a lot of controversy in all walks of life. Proponents believe that restoring Cheonggyecheon is a way to respect Korea's history and culture, while also increasing the ecological space in the heart of Seoul. The opponents are mainly old residents of the Cheonggyecheon area, who have lived and done business here for decades, and such a huge demolition and reconstruction is subversive for their lives. At the same time, the removal of the viaduct will also reduce one traffic lane, which will also have a great impact on the urban traffic in Seoul.
In 2003, the Cheonggyecheon reconstruction project was launched amid opposition from the surrounding residents, and the 5-kilometer-long viaduct collapsed, revealing the thousand-year-old Cheonggyecheon River. The design retains the historical path of the river as a whole, and the concave design can make the river meet the flood demand during the flood season and ensure the safety of the city. The design adds a variety of slow traffic spaces and water-friendly platforms on both sides of the river, creating a vibrant public space for people to experience the Cheonggyecheon River up close. In order to reduce sediment accumulation, the river adopts a combination of hard shoreline and ecological shoreline, which also allows the river to present different scenery in different sections.
The Cheonggyecheon renovation project has greatly promoted the development of commercial, catering, and tourism facilities in the surrounding area, turning the transportation arteries that had separated the city into a vibrant center full of charm, and the surrounding land prices have also risen. The demolition of the viaduct has also eased traffic in the central area of the city to a certain extent. Today, Cheonggyecheon is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Seoul and attracts tourists from all over the world.
Cheonggyecheon has undergone tremendous changes from a natural water system, a sewage channel, a traffic artery, and an urban public space, and it also represents a different stage in the historical development of Korea. The subversive renovation project of Cheonggyecheon has set a good example for the world's river improvement work.