Author(s): Hyoseop Woo, Jin Chul Joo, Hong-Gu Yeo, Jong-Min Oh
Linked Author(s): Jin Chul Joo
Keywords: Green infra, disaster risk reduction, ecological function, flood-risk reduction, restoration of old channel, room-for-the-river, set-back levee
Abstract: This study focuses on the implementation of the Dutch concept of "Room for the River" in Korea by realizing one old wisdom of the traditional ecological green infra practices for natural disaster risk reduction, Baesanimsoo, which meaning means a village locating on a hill slope with paddy field in front and a hill back to protect villagers from the cold northwesterly winter wind and from the summer stream flood. This study focuses especially on the possibility of the restoration of the ecological functions of the river including flood regulation and habitat by simply reconnecting the abandoned old channels to the main river corridors or setting levee back behind the old channel area. A demonstration project of the set-back levee was performed, and has been evaluated in terms of flood-risk reduction of the river and restoration of the old channel corridor. Then, a special attention is put on the specific geometrical configuration of agricultural lands, mostly paddy fields, located between the river embankment and the front-range of hill slope running parallel to the embankment. Additionally, this study introduces a case of the special geometric configuration of a stream flowing inside of the narrow floodplain surrounded in parallel with the front-range of hill-slopes on both sides. Through this study, it is expected that a complete removal of levee and/or setting back of levee, depending on the geometric configurations of the river channel and surrounding uplands and socioeconomic considerations, could be feasible ways to implement the concept of �room-for-the-river� and thus to restore the ecological functions of the river including flood-risk reduction and habitat restoration
Year: 2017