Museums and Media Centers… Urban rivers change dramatically – Maeil Business

Sincheon, a river that connects the north and south of Daegu, has been famous for ‘Shincheon Forest’ since ancient times. It was because it was a river with thick trees around it. According to the records of Daegu-eupji, Gyeongsang-do in 1907, it is recorded that zelkova and hackberry were planted in Sincheon. But now, the dense forest has disappeared due to development around Sincheon. Based on these historical materials, the city of Daegu decided to create a ‘historical and cultural field’ in the city center. This project will invest 2 billion won by 2022 to discover the historical and cultural resources of Shincheon and restore the unique value of Shincheon to create a luxury river.

Rivers in the city center are being reborn as a place of rest and healing for citizens. The purpose is to utilize the downtown waterway as a regional ecological and cultural resource as citizens’ desire for non-face-to-face recreation spaces increases due to the prolonged Corona 19.

The ‘Shincheon History Field Creation Project’ promoted by Daegu City focuses on restoring the historical value of Shincheon. By 2022, the city of Daegu will create Byeokcheon Falls, a natural silgae stream, and a historical and cultural resting place at the upstream of Daebong Bridge, and plant zelkova and hackberry trees in Sincheon to restore the former appearance of Shincheon. The detailed design service will be completed by the end of this year and the project will be completed in 2022.

The rivers flowing through downtown Seoul are also undergoing renovation. A sports facility was built and it was transformed into a cultural and artistic street such as a media center and a museum, and a ‘Starlight Theme Zone’ for night walks was also built.

A media center will be built this year in Bulgwangcheon, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. A radio studio and multi-purpose media room will be installed, and the role of gathering local cultural resources, including village media, is expected. In addition, digital signage that can diversify content according to seasonal changes will be installed, and a multicultural museum and K-pop music center will be built. Eunpyeong-gu mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “There are many broadcasting stations and entertainers in Sangam-dong, so many foreign tourists come to experience Hallyu culture.” “If these tourists naturally gather in Bulgwangcheon, a new cultural tourism belt can be built.”

Seoul Citizens Sports Park will be built in Nanjicheon Stream, Mapo-gu, Seoul. In Seoul Citizens Sports Park, soccer fields, park golf courses, tennis courts, futsal courts, foot volleyball courts, basketball courts, badminton courts, and gateball courts will be built. It is expected to play a role as a cultural and sports attraction for Seoul citizens.

Anyangcheon, which spans eight local governments, including Guro, Geumcheon, Yeongdeungpo, and Yangcheon-gu in Seoul, and Anyang, Gunpo, Uiwang, and Gwangmyeong in Gyeonggi-do, is a 100-ri road with roses and cherry blossoms. Maintenance to ensure the continuity of the trails and bicycle paths will also be carried out, and the ecological restoration work of the embankment slopes and mounds will be promoted.

Gwanak-gu, Seoul changed the name of Dorimcheon to ‘Starlight Falls’. From the name, the feeling that it is a good trail for walking at night permeates. Gwanak-gu invested 800 million won in special subsidy tax in November last year to start installing landscape lighting for six bridges with a large floating population and completed it in March.

The city of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, is promoting a river restoration project. Since 2017, the city of Pohang has been promoting the urban river ecology restoration project to restore four rivers: Haksancheon, Chilseongcheon, Duhocheon, and Yanghakcheon, which were covered in the downtown area. Among them, the Haksancheon Ecological River Restoration Project was first selected as a pilot project among the four covered rivers in the city center and is accelerating the project. The project will be built as a nature-friendly water-friendly space by 2023 with an investment of 39.4 billion won, including 18.2 billion won from the government. Pohang Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “It is important to revive the downtown waterways that have been lost due to urbanization and return them to the citizens by making it a waterside urban space.

[박승철 기자 / 우성덕 기자]
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