Evaluation of Urban Riverine Area Usage -Gapcheon and Yudungcheon in Daejeon City -

도시하천의 공간이용 평가 -갑천과 유등천을 중심으로-

The usages of urban riverine areas for the Gapchoen and Yudungcheon in Daejoen City were evaluated by analyzing riverbed characteristics and water quality and by surveying the status of the floodplain usage including questionnaires of people visiting the rivers. Both rivers appear to be stable with insignificant bed changes as the riverbeds are dominated by gravels. Water qualities of both rivers have been improved significantly over the past decade although there are quite large seasonal fluctuations, which is common in most rivers in Korea. The results of floodplain usage analyses show that Gapcheon is dominated with static uses (>70%) such as promenades and resting facilities, while Yudungcheon by dynamic uses (>44%) such as sports facilities. Overall, both rivers require better plans for riverine area usage management considering a balance between the dynamic uses and the static uses such as natural observation places for education and habitats for birds and fish in the rivers. The questionnaire survey results indicate that overall the present status of both rivers are satisfactory and that water quality improvement is one of the key factors to enhance the value of the riverine areas. Future river restoration should be conducted by taking into account the characteristics of urban rivers in harmony with surrounding natural sceneries.