• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2007

Urban streams have been severely degraded with wastewater and concrete structure over a prolonged period. The Chonggyecheon Restoration Project recovered a stream in the downtown Seoul with landscaping, plantings and bridges after the cover concrete and elevated asphalt road were removed. The project has been criticized partly because it is not an ecological restoration but rather the development of an urban park with an unnaturally straight flowing stream, artificial building structures, and artificial water pumping from the Han River. Nevertheless, the public have praised the project and almost 100,000 visitors per day come to see the reeds, catfish, and ducks. The stream restoration project is attractive to central and regional government decision makers because it increases the public concern of landscape amenity. Several projects such as Sanjichon and Kaeumjungchon are on going and proposed. These projects have a common and different respect in scope and procedure. The Chonggyecheon project in the process of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and prior environmental review system (PERS) reviewed the environmental impacts before development. Kaeumjungchon in the PERS and Sanjichon without EIA and PERS are reviewed. EIA and PERS systems contribute to checking the ecological sustainability of the restoration projects. A stream restoration project is a very complex task, so an integrated approach from plan to project is needed for ecologically sound restoration. Ecological stream restoration requires 1) an assessment of the entire stream ecosystem 2) establishing an ecologically sound management system of the stream reflecting not only benefits for people but also flora and fauna; 3) developing the site-specific design criteria and construction techniques including habitat restoration, flood plains conservation, and fluvial management; 4) considering the stream watershed in land use plan, EIA, PERS, and strategic environmental assessment (SEA). Additionally the process needs to develop the methodologies to enhance stakeholder's participation during planning, construction, and monitoring.