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Environmental and Social Safeguards in Urban River Restoration: Lessons from Cheonggyecheon Stream

  • Writer: Seoyoung Kwon
    Seoyoung Kwon
  • Jul 28
  • 8 min read

Updated: Jul 29

Author: Seoyoung Kwon (seoyoungkwon@jhsustain.com), with blog adaptation and reflections by Ava Leonard


Source: 조선일보. [청계천 복원 10주년] 사진으로 보는 청계천, https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2015/09/08/2015090800979.html
Source: 조선일보. [청계천 복원 10주년] 사진으로 보는 청계천, https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2015/09/08/2015090800979.html

Hello, blog readers! My name is Ava Leonard, and I am currently interning at JHSUSTAIN. During my internship, I have had the opportunity to walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream almost every day. Since I am staying in Dongdaemun, it is only a short walk from where I live and has become one of my favourite places in Seoul.

In the evenings, the stream is full of life. People walk along the paths, children play near the water, couples sit together enjoying snacks and street musicians perform beside the stream.


When I first arrived in Seoul, I saw Cheonggyecheon simply as a beautiful public space. I had no idea that only a few decades ago, much of the stream had been hidden beneath roads and an elevated highway.

During my internship, I was introduced to research previously undertaken by JHSUSTAIN Project Officer Seoyoung Kwon as part of her master’s studies. Her analysis examined the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project through the framework of Environmental and Social Safeguards. Drawing on this research helped me understand that there is much more to the project than what visitors see today.


This article adapts that research for the JHSUSTAIN blog and considers what Cheonggyecheon can teach us about the environmental and social dimensions of urban restoration.


Background on Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project


Urban river restoration projects can improve degraded environments, create new public spaces and support the revitalisation of surrounding neighbourhoods. However, because they are often implemented in densely populated areas, they can also affect local residents, businesses, workers, transport systems and existing ecosystems. Their success should therefore be assessed not only by their physical transformation, but also by their wider environmental and social impacts.


Cheonggyecheon has been part of Seoul’s history for centuries. Flowing through the centre of the city, the stream supported everyday life and contributed to Seoul’s historical and cultural identity. However, during the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation that followed the Korean War, its condition changed dramatically. Increasing levels of waste, overcrowding and public-health concerns led the government to begin covering sections of the waterway in the late 1950s.


Figure 1. Houses along Cheonggyecheon Stream in 1945. Source: Cheonggyecheon Museum
Figure 1. Houses along Cheonggyecheon Stream in 1945. 

Source: Cheonggyecheon Museum. 청계천변 판자촌 전경. 청계천가를 따라 빼곡하게 늘어선 판잣집들. Cheonggyecheon Museum,. https://museum.seoul.go.kr/cgcm/relic/RelicView.do



As automobile ownership increased, roads and eventually an elevated highway were constructed above the stream to accommodate growing transport demands. The surrounding area developed into an important wholesale and retail district. By the early 2000s, however, ageing infrastructure and a deteriorating urban environment had contributed to the area’s decline



Figure 2. Panoramic View of the Shantytown along Cheonggyecheon: Rows of Densely Packed Shacks Lining the Stream.
Figure 2. Panoramic View of the Shantytown along Cheonggyecheon: Rows of Densely Packed Shacks Lining the Stream.

Source: Cheonggyecheon Museum. 청계천변 판자촌 전경. 청계천가를 따라 빼곡하게 늘어선 판잣집들. Cheonggyecheon Museum,. https://museum.seoul.go.kr/cgcm/relic/RelicView.do


The Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project was launched in 2003 and completed in 2005. It removed the elevated highway and reopened a 5.8 km section of the stream as an urban waterway and public space. The project aimed to improve the urban environment, address safety concerns associated with ageing infrastructure and revitalise the surrounding area culturally and economically.


Today, Cheonggyecheon is widely recognised as a prominent example of urban redevelopment. The project transformed the landscape of central Seoul and created a highly accessible public space. However, assessing whether it represents sustainable development requires looking beyond its visible achievements.


The project also raised questions about stakeholder participation, livelihood disruption, economic displacement and long-term ecological sustainability. It therefore provides a useful case for examining how Environmental and Social Safeguards can help ensure that urban restoration projects consider both their intended benefits and their potential impacts on people and the environment.


What Are Environmental and Social Safeguards?


One of the concepts I became familiar with during my internship was Environmental and Social Safeguards.



Environmental and Social Safeguards are a set of policies, standards, and procedures, to prevent, minimise, and mitigate any negative impacts of development projects on people and the environment. ESS helps ensure that environmental and social risks are identified early and considered throughout the project cycle, including during project planning, design, construction, operation and monitoring. Rather than responding to negative impacts only after they have occurred, safeguards encourage project developers to anticipate possible risks and prepare appropriate measures in advance.


A key principle of ESS is the mitigation hierarchy. Projects should first seek to avoid adverse impacts. Where avoidance is not possible, impacts should be minimised and mitigated. Where significant impacts remain, restoration, compensation or other forms of support may be required.


Depending on the project, safeguards may address issues such as:


  • stakeholder engagement;

  • community health and safety;

  • livelihood disruption and economic displacement;

  • land acquisition;

  • pollution prevention and resource efficiency;

  • biodiversity and habitat protection; and

  • cultural heritage.


Applying this framework to Cheonggyecheon helps us consider not only what the project achieved, but also who was affected, how decisions were made and whether its environmental benefits can be sustained over time.


The Connection: Cheonggyecheon as Case Study


Discussions about restoring Cheonggyecheon began in 1999, but the proposal gained momentum when it became a major mayoral election pledge. The project was presented as part of a wider effort to improve Seoul’s urban environment and strengthen its competitiveness as an international city.


Figure 3. Key Phases of the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project. Source: Seoul Facilities Corporation
Figure 3. Key Phases of the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project. Source: Seoul Facilities Corporation

Source: https://www.sisul.or.kr/open_content/cheonggye/intro/completion3.jsp Seoul Facilities Corporation. 사업시행. Seoul Metropolitan Government. Retrieved 25 May from https://www.sisul.or.kr/open_content/cheonggye/intro/completion3.jsp

*Note: Figure translated by the Author


The project was implemented through four main stages:


  1. Feasibility study and preparation of the basic restoration plan

  2. Expert consultations and collection of public opinions

  3. Basic and detailed design

  4. Demolition of existing roads and construction of the restored stream


The Seoul Metropolitan Government also established citizen committees, expert panels and other consultation mechanisms. These structures provided opportunities for citizens, specialists and affected stakeholders to receive information and express their views.


From an ESS perspective, these procedures were important. However, consultation alone does not necessarily guarantee meaningful participation. It is also necessary to consider who was represented, whether vulnerable groups could participate effectively, how their concerns influenced decisions and whether unresolved complaints could be addressed


Applying Environmental and Social Safeguards to Cheonggyecheon


The Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project is widely recognised for transforming the landscape of central Seoul and creating an accessible urban public space. However, ESS provide a framework for looking beyond the project’s visible outcomes. They draw attention to how environmental and social risks were identified, how affected groups participated in decision-making and how the costs and benefits of the project were distributed.


Viewed through this framework, Cheonggyecheon demonstrates that urban environmental improvement can produce significant public benefits while also creating social disruption and long-term environmental management challenges.


Social Implications


One of the main social concerns associated with the project was its effect on people whose livelihoods depended on the surrounding commercial district. Street vendors, informal workers and small-scale merchants faced disruption as construction and redevelopment changed access to business locations, customers and established commercial networks.


From an ESS perspective, this illustrates the importance of recognising economic displacement as well as physical displacement. People do not need to be removed from their homes to experience serious project impacts. The loss of a trading location, customer base or source of income can affect household security and long-term well-being.


Safeguard planning should therefore identify vulnerable and livelihood-dependent groups at an early stage. Where impacts cannot be avoided, appropriate measures may include relocation assistance, transitional support, compensation and livelihood restoration.


Stakeholder engagement is another important consideration. The Seoul Metropolitan Government established citizen committees, expert consultations and other engagement mechanisms during the project. However, the creation of these structures did not necessarily guarantee that all affected groups had equal influence over decisions.


Meaningful engagement requires more than providing opportunities to attend meetings or express opinions. It also requires examining who was represented, whether vulnerable groups could participate effectively, how their concerns influenced project decisions and whether unresolved complaints could be addressed through an accessible grievance mechanism.


The Cheonggyecheon case therefore shows that projects intended to improve urban environments may still produce unequal outcomes when the needs of informal workers, small businesses and other affected groups are not fully identified and addressed.


Environmental Implications


The environmental implications of Cheonggyecheon are also more complex than the stream’s appearance suggests.


Although Cheonggyecheon was historically a natural but largely seasonal stream, its present-day flow is maintained through an engineered water circulation system. Water must be continuously supplied and managed, including through water pumped from the Han River. Maintaining the stream therefore requires ongoing energy, infrastructure, maintenance and financial resources


The project has reintroduced an open water landscape, vegetation and habitat into a highly urbanised area.


Flora and Fauna Status

Category

2006

2010

2012

2013

2017

2022

Plants

160

510

365

280

375

492

Fish

21

25

23

13

25

21

Birds

19

37

48

19

43

41

Benthic macroinvertebrates

27

29

44

18

40

43

Terrestrial insects

113

248

112

83

69

69

Amphibians and reptiles

2

9

1

0

0

0

Total

342

858

593

413

552

666

Source: https://www.sisul.or.kr/open_content/cheonggye/intro/animals.jsp Seoul Facilities Corporation, Ecological Status: Flora and Fauna Status, Cheonggyecheon website, accessed 28 July 2026.


However, several natural river processes remain limited. Seasonal changes in water flow, natural sediment movement and self-purification cannot operate in the same way as they would in a self-sustaining river system.


The International Union for Conservation of Nature describes river restoration in terms of re-establishing natural physical processes, features and habitats within a river system. Although Cheonggyecheon has restored an open waterway and created valuable ecological and recreational space, it continues to rely heavily on engineered infrastructure rather than natural hydrological processes.


This raises an important distinction between restoring the appearance of nature and restoring natural ecological processes.


Cheonggyecheon has clear environmental and public-space value. However, its continued dependence on technical management suggests that it may be better understood as an engineered urban waterway, or an example of visual renaturalisation, rather than a fully restored natural ecosystem.


From an ESS perspective, environmental performance should therefore be assessed throughout the entire project life cycle. Evaluation should consider not only demolition and construction impacts, but also:


  • long-term energy consumption;

  • water demand and water quality;

  • native species and habitat conditions;

  • maintenance requirements;

  • operational costs; and

  • the ability of the system to maintain environmental benefits over time.


These indicators can help determine whether an urban restoration project remains environmentally sustainable after construction has been completed.


Final Thoughts


Before learning about the history of Cheonggyecheon, I simply saw it as one of Seoul's most beautiful public spaces. After researching the project through Environmental and Social Safeguards, I realized that there is much more beneath the surface.


The Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project demonstrates that sustainable development should not be evaluated solely by what we can see. While the project transformed central Seoul into a vibrant public space and improved the urban environment, it also illustrates the importance of considering environmental resources, stakeholder participation, livelihood protection, and long term project management throughout the entire development process.


Now, whenever I walk along Cheonggyecheon after work, I still appreciate its beauty, but I also think about the planning, engineering, environmental management, and difficult decisions that made this transformation possible. More importantly, I understand why Environmental and Social Safeguards matter. They remind us that truly sustainable development is about more than creating beautiful places. It is about ensuring that environmental protection, social well being, and economic development are considered together so that the benefits of development are achieved while negative impacts on people and the environment are avoided, minimized, and appropriately managed. The next time you find yourself walking along Cheonggyecheon, I hope you'll see more than just a beautiful stream!



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