History Project 1st Research Meeting

Date：30.June.2004　17:00-19:30
Place：Housei University Ichigaya Campus 80nenkan Meeting Room

Renovation of Cheonggyecheon (清渓川) in Seoul
Park Chanpil

Since the relocation of the capital in 1397, the Cheonggyecheon stream flowing east-west in the central city, had served as a symbolic boundary between upper part and lower part of the city. Based on geomancy, court, palace and housing area of high-class of the north, and houses of middle or low-level bureaucrats and commoners of the south had been geographically, politically, socially and culturally divided. During the period between the capital relocation and 1902, the kings had lead water control through bank
protection by stone works and willow plantation, as well as annual or biennial dredging. Peasants who had flowed into Seoul in 1920's, squatted in shanks along the Cheonggyecheon. This area became one of the representative slums in Seoul with the characteristics of congestion and poor hygiene. The most crucial problem was bad hygiene condition, including infection caused by flooded rivers. From 1958 to 1978, contaminated rivers had been gradually covered. The Cheonggyecheon had been also covered in step-by-step manner, in order to improve transportation facilities around the city. From 1967 to 1972, the expressway had been constructed as one of the symbols of high economic growth in Korea. The construction of the covering road, 6.0km in total length and 50-80m in width, and the Cheonggye Expressway, 5.8km in length and 16m in width, showed that the value of the Cheonggyecheon was totally lost.

In July 2002, Lee Myung-bak (李明博) won an election for the mayor of Seoul, making a commitment to restore the Cheonggyecheon. Based on the approval to this policy by 80% of the citizens in Seoul, he launched major engineering works on demolition of covering road and expressway, and the river's restoration. This project has its four advantages. Firstly, this project will provide drastic resolution to safety problems, involving the decrepit structures of covering road and expressway. Secondly, it will offer an amusement waterfront space for citizens, by remaking huge drains into urban natural rivers. Thirdly, history and cultures of Seoul will be revitalized by the restoration of Gyangtonggyo (広通橋) and Sypyogyo (水標橋), as well as the revival of various cultural events. Fourthly, alteration of industrial structure in the area around Cheonggyecheon --lagging behind in the development since the Korean war-- might allow economic revitalization in the city center. The restoration work was preceded by expansion of public circulation including detours and bus networks, aiming to alleviate traffic on the existing covering road and expressway. In addition, services like conomic
assistances and finding relocation destination were provided to owners of retail stores and stall holders who was suffering noise damages or obliged to move out.

Along with Cheonggyecheon, Gyangtonggyo, Sypyogyo and side ditches will also be restored for flood control; the completion of the restoration work will yield spaces, to provide close contact with water. The flowing water in Cheonggyecheon will be supplied by ground water, although sufficient water volume has not been ensured until today. Therefore, the plans are arranged to circulate water through pipes into Cheonggyecheon. Ultimately, Cheonggyecheon will become a symbol for improving environments around the entire Seoul city area, based on the restoration plans of ground water for supplying flowing water of Cheonggyecheon. I hope that the restoration of Cheonggyecheon will lead to the general revitalization of Seoul, as a city of environment, where people will be able to live in harmony with wind and water.

Ferry Berths of Waterfront in Osaka
Hikaru Kinoshita

Prof. Kinoshita gave a report on 8 ferry berths remain in the waterfront area of Osaka, from various viewpoints including historical backgrounds, purpose of use and actual way of using.

The delta area in the waterfront of Osaka city where several rivers still run through, presents the mixture of housing area which had been formed since Meiji period, and industrial area. The spatial structure consists of lined swathes of the following elements; housing area (inner city), industrial area/warehouses (waterfront) and a river, and again industrial area/warehouses and housing area. This composition contrasts with general spatial structure observed in other waterfront areas: a housing area near city center is gradually replaced with industrialized area, which is more closely-spaced where nearer to a waterfront.

The waterfront of Osaka has many inhabitants, while factories and warehouses are lined along river banks in the inner island with freighters shipping in. Therefore, huge bridges with tall girders were adopted to ensure both water and land transportation. For residents who have to move across rivers daily, it is difficult to walk or pedal across a bridge with such high girders. As a result, ferry berths are essential for them as transportation device for daily life even today. Moreover, the smooth terrain of waterfront is perfect for pedaling along. For the reasons as described above, many inhabitants use ferry berths with bicycles not only commuting, but also shopping and other everyday purposes. It can be said that the ferry berths are characterized as community road.

Generally, houses and industries coexist in the areas around "ferry berths along rivers"; factories and warehouses are seen along river banks, while housing areas exist near both sides of a ferry berth. The users of a ferry berth range within the sphere with the radius of 1 km of the berth, which may be appropriate for bicycles, and a wide group of people uses the berth for varieties of purposes. On the other hand, the areas around "ferry berth of port" are island shaped. Affected by specific character of each region, users and their purposes vary by berth, because such berths do not share a characteristic, as observed in a ferry berth along river.

The usages of 8 ferry berths are inspiring example for the future waterfront of Osaka. In these days, users of ferry berths have been slightly increasing once again. According to a field survey, some of them use these places as resting place or for walking around, though few in number. Ferry berths should be considered, not only as a mean of transportation to connect regions which provides close network among areas, but also a human-scale public space.