Through the Four Major River Restoration Project, the creation works for waterfront areas run on main stage. With pleasant curiosity, let us take a close look on foreign countries’ cases on how they achieved waterfront areas sustainable and successful.
Waterfront area projects of the world
Recently as ‘the special law on waterfront area and its application’ comes into effect, people’s interest on the waterfront area of the Four Major Rivers grows higher. Waterfront areas along rivers are the places of sustainable future growth and continuity for local residents. At the same time, it gives vitality of life to people. Therefore, the matter of how the amenity should be applied to the Four Major Rivers is as important as its revitalization of river itself. With examples of Europe and US as the center, we will take a look on the followings: What kind of waterfront area should be and what equipments are needed for convenience within amenity.
Harmony in both parts and the whole
To create waterfront area, you need to ponder upon how you allocate specific regions. For this, consideration in a broad perspective is also necessary. Also as a concrete methodology, details have to be scrupulously considered; for instance, the things about what kind of roadside trees and street-lamps will match on the fringe of roads. That is, elaborate scrutiny in both parts and whole will be a solution which can lead us closer to the very purpose of sustainable waterfront area creation. “The whole it is that determines the quality of the parts.” We need to comprehend it like the words of Benedetto Croce (an Italian critic, idealist philosopher, 1866-1952).
Realization of the Value of ‘Place’
Present many places are the deep and infinite interlinkages heading to culture and nature. A place connects people to people, and people to nature. Also each place leaves existing trait of the culture and connect stories among people and area. It becomes the great palimpsest on the existence of human being, with scraping traits of past. It can be a structure built by human or perfectly preserved natural environment. However, the places have diverse range and respectively unique features in the view of form, function and scale. ‘Necessity beautifies the meaning’. Like the words of Marc Treib, an American architect, ‘place’ which was a merely geometrical position gets to be crosslinked with cultures and history, then finally have the character of place with meaningful trait like palimpsest. Therefore, waterfront area needs to be created as the place which can be translated with diversity of technology, artistic value of nature and spatial culturism, and with initial respect for characteristic of ‘place’
Design Trends of Waterfront and Social Needs
According to the recent researches of American Society of Landscape Architects (ALSA), current trends on what American want concerning to waterfront area utilization indicate as follows: 1 Dog Park, 2 Hiking, Walking, 3 Skate Park and Extreme Sports, 4 Team Sports, 5 Outdoor Recreation, 6 Instructive Programs on Environment and Outdoor Activities, 7 Picnic and Social Gathering. The research shows that people prefers public space utilized for individual recreation activities. To meet the needs of people, waterfront area also should be satisfied with social expectation as follows.
1. Raise up the quality of life and residential livability
2. Make the city more competitive with function catalyzing for economic revival
3. Help damaged places to be cured
4. Enhance the quality of water, air and residential level
5. Provide opportunity of recreation including diverse outdoor activities
6. Contribute to the physical and mental renewal of people
7. Promote environment-friendly and sustainable development
8. Should be a place for social interactivity and democratic ideals
9. Need to be fresh and characteristic
Of course, among the constant needs for existing programs like swimming and fishing, the notably increasing demand of people is that about the utilization of waterfront areas. The integrated approach to riparian area as public assets should be capable of accommodating public recreation and trail (esplanade) system based on sustainable preservation of wildlife, water control and biomass technology as substitute energy source. Then, in the needs of the time and global stream, what should be done to create better environment of our rivers. The essential principles shown below should be ensured and respected on:
1. Safe and fresh space for pedestrian
2. Preservation of natural features like geography and vegetation
3. Preservation of cultural and historical assets of the region
4. Securing of open space and verdure
5. Base of interactive communication
6. Orientation for aesthetical value
With each geographical feature, unique and intrinsic aspects of place pertain in the Han, Nakdong, Geum, and Yeongsan Rivers. Additionally, various needs of the time of contemporary generation are included. Hence, long and proud history, cultural asset and resources have to attempt integration with surrounding regions and draw the prospect of forward-looking development.
New Hope on the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project Provided the river had been a place of sheer recreation and living, contemporary roles are extended to that of aesthetic space where gives comfort and consolation to the city and citizens. For further functional extension of river and riparian area, importance as a waterfront area started to come into play as genuine public space, with demand of engraftment convenient facilities for eco-friendly natural beauties and recreation. In the long run, our concept and utilization methodology on riparian areas are bound to keep evolving continuously. I hope that the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project could be a relevant milestone proposing brand-new paradigm in the way of approach and awareness forward public spaces not only riparian areas but also other national land property.
Written by KIM Seung-Kyum, International Public Relations Specialist, the Office of National River Restoration
