• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 1998

A stream plays an important role as the source of drinking water, the ecological space and the living space. But the today's urban stream whose ecosystem is destroyed and water quality become worse in consequence of covering, concrete dyke construction, and the adjustment of high-water-ground[dunchi], is deprived of the function as a stream. Therefore this paper aims to elucidate the role that urban stream plays ecologically and to try to find a improvement to the problem. A stream is the pathway through which several types of the solar radiation energy are transmitted and the place which is always full of life energy. In the periphery of a stream, primary productivity is high and carrying capacity of population is great. Thus ancient cities based on agricultural products grew out of the fertile surroundings of stream. In Korea most cities of the Chosen Dynasty Period based on the agriculture have grown out of the erosional basins where solar energy is concentrated. The role of a stream in this agricultural system is the source of energy and material(water and sediment) and a lifeline. In consequence of the growth of cities and the rapid growing demands of water supply after the Industrial Revolution, a stream has become a more important locational factor of city. However, because cities need the life energy of urban streams no longer, urban streams cannot play role as a lifeline. And As pollutant waste water has poured into urban streams after using external streams' water, urban streams have degraded to the status of a ditch. As the results of the progress of urbanization, the dangerousness of inundation of urban stream increased and its water quality became worse. For the sake of holding back it, local governments constructed concrete dyke, adjusted high-water-ground[dunchi], and covered the channel. But stream ecosystem went to ruin and its water quality became much worse after channelization. These problems of urban stream can be solved by transmitting much energy contained in stream to land ecosystem as like rural stream. We should dissipate most of the energy contained in urban stream by cultivating wetland vegetation from the shore of stream to high-water-ground, and should recover a primitive natural vigorous power by preparation of ecological park.