• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.32-41
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• 2008

An empirical study and environmental and ecological analysis were conducted on Otgol Village(a village of the Gyeongju Choi's clan in Daegu) where an enclosed pond and groves are still observed. In particular, the enclosed pond and groves and village water system were investigated from an ecological perspective. The enclosed landscape is described based on feng shui principles and the environmental and ecological significance were examined. In general, the environmental and ecological significance is very broad; however, they were analyzed in terms of the quality of life as an empirical study as follows: First, water quality was measured to investigate the improvement of continuous water system functions. In other words, water quality was measured at East Valley(resting space), West Valley(living space), the enclosed pond where the two valleys merge, and the stream that flows out of the pond. Second, the climate functions of the enclosed groves that border the village were examined. In other words, temperature was measured in two places(200m distance from the center of the groves). Third, whether or not a sound ecosystem can be sustained was investigated. In other words, landscape ecological indicators were chosen and measured. The results are as follows: First, the enclosed pond played the role of purifying water quality. While the East Valley has been popular with men for its rock walls and torrents, the West Valley has been popular with women as a living space(ex: doing the laundry). Therefore, the difference of water quality can be explained. Second, since enclosed groves are in a small village forest, they are very weak in terms of being wind proof and temperature reduction effects. Instead, they play the role of the village boundary. Third, the groves are ecologically sound considering the landscape ecological indicators and are similar to ordinary traditional rural villages. In terms of the connection of the green zone, the village groves are well connected to the village boundary wood. If the village groves are restored, in particular, they would offer a decent habitat for grove creatures. According to this study, the traditional village space was formed upon the influence of Feng Shui theories that are based on environmental and ecological principles that focus on the harmony between humans and nature. From the environmental and ecological perspective, the enclosed pond and groves are important factors in building a sustainable village. The diverse water space would help to improve water quality and increase water volume by promoting the water circulation system. In addition, the village woods would surround the village and decrease the temperature and humidity difference between winter and summer. If the groves are small and badly damaged, however, they are meaningful only in dividing the region. The overall improvement of a forestation system and botanical composition may increase the biological diversity and promote the migration of species. Otgol Village has developed an enclosed landscape to improve the village environment. In other words, a sound and refreshing living environment can be developed when the natural ecological system is well understood and properly preserved. Additionally, this traditional village planning will be the environmental and ecological method. From the perspective of environmental ecology, therefore, a traditional village is recommended.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.18-27
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to identify different cerebral areas of the human brain associated with rural and urban picture stimulation using a 3.0 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and further to investigate the human suitability for rural and urban environments. A total of 27 right-handed participants (mean age: $27.3{\pm}3.7$) underwent fMRI study on a 3.0T MR scanner. The brain activation patterns were induced by visual stimulation with each rural and urban sceneries. The participants were divided into two groups as 26 subjects favorable to rural scenery and 14 subjects unfavorable to urban scenery based on their filled-in questionnaire. The differences of the brain activation in response to two extreme types of pictures by the two sample t-test were characterized as follows: the activation areas observed in rural scenery over urban were the insula, middle frontal gyrus, precuneus, caudate nucleus, superior parietal gyrus, superior occipital gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and globus pallidus. In urban scenery over rural, the inferior frontal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, amygdala, and posterior cingulate gyrus were activated. The fMRI patterns also clearly show that rural scenery elevated positive emotion such as happiness and comfort. On the contrary, urban scenery elevated negative emotion, resulting in activation of the amygdala which is the key region for the feelings of fear, anxiety and unpleasantness. This study evaluated differential cerebral areas of the human brain associated with rural and urban picture stimulation using a 3.0 Tesla fMRI. These findings will be useful as an objective evaluation guide to human suitability for ecological environments that are related to brain activation with joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.674-684
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to construct ecological pond using LID technique in order to create naturally comfortable community space in urban idle space. The specification of the ecological pond is $110m^2$ of surface area, $0.45{\pm}0.02m$ of average depth, and bed material is composed of gravel (diameter ${\leq}60mm$), sand (diameter ${\leq}2mm$) and bentonite. Rainfall and water depth monitoring were conducted to determine the annual characteristics of inflow of the water for the ecological pond, result of total rainfall was 1,287 mm and showed a seasonal imbalance that accounted for 71.3% (918 mm) during July to August, but the annual mean water depth was kept constant at $0.45{\pm}0.02m$ due to the secondary water source. Annual trends of basic water quality showed a significant changes according to the season, such as water temperature ($5.2{\sim}28.8^{\circ}C$), DO (5.0 ~ 13.8 mg/L), EC ($113{\sim}265{\mu}S/cm$). BOD, COD, TN, and TP in physicochemical water quality tended to increase after October, but the ion parameters such as $NH_3$ and $PO_4{^{3-}}$ were generally low. Phytoplankton indicators Chl-a and BGA (blue green algae) showed a sharp increase from July to August, and green algae (Selenastrum bibraianum, Pediastrum boryanum etc.) and filamentous blue green algae (Phormidium sp.) emerged as a dominant species. The ion parameters ($F^-$, $Na^+$, $K^+$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$) were strongly correlated with the $Cl^-$ as a conservative substance (R=0.70~0.97, p<0.05). Water quality was influenced by the ambient environment such as seasonal changes or rainfall, and it was closely related to fluctuation of the inflow of the water. In the future, it is necessary to consider ecological connections by referring to the characteristics surveyed in this study in order to effectively manage the water quality and biodiversity of the ecological pond in idle space.