The usages of urban riverine areas for the Gapchoen and Yudungcheon in Daejoen City
were evaluated by analyzing riverbed characteristics and water quality and by
surveying the status of the floodplain usage including questionnaires of people
visiting the rivers. Both rivers appear to be stable with insignificant bed changes as
the riverbeds are dominated by gravels. Water qualities of both rivers have been
improved significantly over the past decade although there are quite large seasonal
fluctuations, which is common in most rivers in Korea. The results of floodplain usage
analyses show that Gapcheon is dominated with static uses(〉70percent) such as
promenades and resting facilities, while Yudungcheon by dynamic uses (〉44percent) such
as sports facilities. Overall, both rivers require better plans for riverine area usage
management considering a balance between the dynamic uses and the static uses such as
natural observation places for education and habitats for birds and fish in the
rivers. The questionnaire survey results indicate that overall the present status of
both rivers are satisfactory and that water quality improvement is one of the key
factors to enhance the value of the riverine areas. Future river restoration should be
conducted by taking into account the characteristics of urban rivers in harmony with
surrounding natural sceneries.