In the developed countries whose population density, urbanization, and industrialization indicate similar degree with us, basically they control the waterfront area in mainly three ways. One is 'the restoration of amenities', the other being 'the restoration of ecosystem' and the last one is 'the notion of nature preservation'.
The restoration of amenities', being the concept of recreating friendly waterfront space, is to form eco-friendly riverside area to open public. This 'eco-friendly' means the harmony with natural landscape and resources. The waterfront (land of the city or town on the edge of a body of water) projects in developed countries like Europe or Japan might be in the similar category. Our 'Han River Renaissance Project' can be classified as the case above.
The second, 'restoration of ecosystem' means the maximum revitalization for the structure and function of ecosystem with the emphasis on the fact that the waterfront was originally habitats of diverse natural lives. But unfortunately, that was hardly carried on. Since the dawn of human civilization, riverside areas have been constantly affected with changes by behaviors of human activities. That is one of the reasons.
Hence, today, it is general that we get focus on the possible to revitalize out of the functions in waterfront area. In high-population-density countries like Japan or Western European countries, the waterfront areas come to have the function as buffer zone for inundation disasters. From that point, the 'Room for River(RvR)' notion of Holland has remarkable implication for us. That notion suggested the method of riparian area creation which provide coexistence of human and wild lives as well as provide us with safe-guard function in case of inundation disaster like flood.
In order to raise up the handling ability for flood, it is strongly needed that broadening the riparian space, deepening the waterways, restoring small streams along the old river channels, and turning the unnecessary farming yards into riparian forest zone. The Four Rivers Restoration Project has made effort to introduce remarkable portion from the values of 'Room for the rivers' of Holland.
