Environmental Characteristics and Nature-friendly Planning Strategies for an Urban Stream - The Case of Chuncheon's Gongji Stream -

This study analyzed characteristics of natural and human environments in Chuncheon's Gongji stream, and suggested nature-friendly planning strategies for self-purification of water quality, biodiversity improvement and conservative waterfront recreation. The environmental analysis included streambed structures, floodplain soils, water quality, vegetation, wildlife, and human facilities. Natural colonization of vegetation for the middle section of the study stream was obstructed by a straightened concrete revetment of baseflow channel, and vehicle movement and concrete parking lots across the floodplain. These human disturbances also deteriorated the naturalness of the stream landscape and limited habitation of bird species. However, natural sedimented wetlands in half of the channel width for the lower section of the stream contributed to a desirable vegetational landscape and greater bird occurrence. Based on BOD measurements, water quality of the stream fell under class $II{\sim}III$ of the stream water-quality standard, but it was worse around sewage outlets due to incomplete sewage collection especially during the dry season. Dominant fish species included typical inhabitants of good water-quality streams that are tolerant of adverse habitat changes. Nature-friendly planning strategies were established based on analysis of the environmental characteristics. They focused on not merely spatial zoning and layout divided into four zones - preservation, partial preservation, conservation and use -, but close-to-nature channel revetment techniques, natural water-purification facilities, biotope diversification, and water-friendly recreation and circulation. Strategies pursued both renewal of stream naturalness and hydraulic stability of streamflow by minimizing transformation of natural channel micro-topography and biotope, and by reflecting natural traces of streambed structures such as revetment scour and sedimentation.

도시하천의 환경특성과 친자연적 계획전략 - 춘천시 공지천을 대상으로 -