Reintegrating urban waterways
a critical examination of Cheonggyecheon’s tributary restoration and the spatial transformation of Baekundongcheon
S. Yun (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
M. Tenzon – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
This research explores South Korea’s largest urban stream restoration project: the 2005 restoration of Cheonggyecheon. Once a natural stream, Cheonggyecheon was buried in 1977 during rapid modernization, and by the 1980s, most of Seoul’s tributaries had similarly been covered by roads or highways. Nearly 30 years after it was buried, the 2005 project reopened Cheonggyecheon to the public but focused primarily on macro-scale physical restoration, overlooking the micro-scale spatial connections that once integrated the stream with its urban surroundings. As a result, the restored stream remains visually prominent but spatially disconnected, raising questions about more meaningful forms of urban reintegration.
This study argues that urban stream restoration should go beyond reconstructing physical features to re-evaluating the streams’ historical and spatial roles in Seoul. Rather than restoring streams to a past state, it is crucial to examine how they functioned and interacted with surrounding architecture and infrastructure.