Study on the Redevelopment of the Hangang River Waterfront from an Urban Resilience Perspective

Abstract

Cities worldwide are developing strategies to cope with heat waves, extreme colds, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, pandemics, and other disasters caused by climate change. To this end, a resilience theory is being expanded and applied as a methodology to secure social and spatial systems that respond to climate change while providing ecological habitats and spaces for more diverse human activities. This study evaluated resilient redevelopment strategies for the Hangang River in Seoul by drawing on practices grounded in resilience theory. This study analyzed the nine proposals from the Resilience by Design Challenge, which aimed to gather response strategies for climate change in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2017 to identify practical physical design and social system strategies. Each team’s strategy for implementing urban resilience focused on six categories: governance systems, financial planning, public engagement, accessibility, ecology, and diversity. The guidelines to consider during the redevelopment of the Hangang River in Seoul were formulated by applying these criteria to the review of the river. This process has also yielded the following implications and characteristics for resilient design. First, ensuring the resilience of a city necessitates prioritizing the resolution of regional imbalances. Second, the social and ecological resilience of cities is intricately intertwined. Moreover, comprehending the dynamics between the two can guide effective, resilient design. Third, resilient design’s spatial and temporal scales are extensive and varied, highlighting the importance of understanding the relationships among categories and subcategories at different hierarchies. Finally, the value of urban waterfront space, traditionally associated with positive cultural and economic contributions to cities, must be reevaluated more profoundly and meaningfully in light of climate change.