There will be a garden city!

What is wrong with what we have now, and how can river revitalization change this situation? Small water arteries are hidden in collectors, large ones - without access to embankments for citizens, polluted water - in both cases. The measures, the consequences of which we are observing, do not justify themselves - let the rivers that are driven underground in concrete pipes no longer threaten flooding during spills, but regularly flood adjacent areas as a result of heavy rains; run hydroelectric power plants and they bring benefits, but the harm from the violation of the natural balance, the inability of rivers to self-purify, is immeasurably greater than it.

Revitalization can restore the natural importance of rivers in the life of the city, which means improving the general ecological situation, contributing to the restoration of natural flora and fauna; creating recreational zones around rivers is the key to citizens' comfort, health, and quality recreation. In most cases, revitalization restores the historical and cultural significance of rivers with which the history of the city is closely intertwined. After all, revitalization of rivers has a long-term economic benefit — coastal areas, which today are often backwoods and semi-abandoned, grow in prestige and become promising objects for investment. There are already successful examples of river revitalization in the world. Similar projects also exist in Kyiv, and although they have not yet been implemented, there is already active discussion and work around them.

 

Cheonggecheon River

Seoul. South Korea

This is one of the most sensational projects in the world for the revitalization of a city river and one of the first successfully implemented. His story is especially interesting because Korean experts are ready to share their experience with Ukraine and help revitalize Kyiv Pochayna.

The Cheonggecheon River was once the main artery of Seoul, and the city grew up around it. In the middle of the 22th century, after liberation from Japanese colonization, Cheonggecheon and its surroundings fell into decline, the river area became firmly associated with poverty and destruction, and it itself became like a drainage ditch. The city administration decided to take a radical approach to the problem: in 4 years, the river was concreted in four stages, and a 6-kilometer-long XNUMX-lane highway was laid over it.

Reviving the river, we will stimulate the economic development of the district and the city as a whole, attract investments from international corporations, and declare Seoul as a global metropolis

By the end of the XNUMXth century, it became clear that the ecology of Seoul required urgent intervention - the metropolis had only one park, the only remaining river Hangang flowed through the thickets of dense concrete commercial buildings. At the same time, the city was on the upswing in economic terms, and in society there was clearly a demand for a happy urban future. The metropolis needed a fresh international-level project that would raise its prestige on the world stage and make people talk about Seoul as a modern metropolis. The revitalization of one of the central rivers became just such a project.

The highway had a rather strong impact on environmental pollution. The two main problems created by it are exhaust gases and noise; residents of the districts adjacent to the autobahn were twice as likely to suffer from respiratory diseases. The revived river with a large-scale park area along its banks was supposed to solve these problems. Over time, the very need for such a highway disappeared - several of its lanes were already built up with shops and shops.

All these reasons forced the then mayor of Seoul, Lee Myung-bak, to make a decision to return the river to the residents of the city - exactly 40 years after it was replaced by a highway. The project was supported by public organizations, the business community and residents of the area, which was potentially supposed to become attractive for new businesses and tourists.

But the fate of the project was not so simple. The opinion was expressed that the liquidation of a large transport artery would lead to transport chaos. The owners of the same shops and shops located on the highways did not support the project either. In addition, the opinion of experts that the complete restoration of Cheonggecheon is impossible has gained more popularity - the natural properties of the river do not allow it to be full of water around the clock.

Nevertheless, in 2003, the project of the Seo-Ahn Total Landscape architectural bureau was approved. The project included, in addition to hydraulic works, the construction of special suspension bridges and underground passages to connect the two banks of the river. In order to avoid possible transport problems in the city, additional bus routes were introduced. An important part of the transport reform associated with the project was the limitation of the number of cars in the center - depending on the number, car owners were allowed to travel to the center on even or odd days. It was possible to conclude an agreement with representatives of a small business for a temporary move from the territory of the building, and the problem of insufficient water level was solved at the expense of special pumps, which pump water into Cheonggecheon from the second city river, Hangang, if necessary - about 10 times an hour.

The implementation of the project lasted about 2 years, but the result fully justified itself. Cheonggecheon stretches for 6 kilometers through the center of Seoul, a pedestrian zone was created along it, which was divided into several thematic routes: a park of stones, reproductions of the works of artists of the XNUMXth century, a restored historical site demonstrating the life of the inhabitants of old Seoul, a space for modern artists, "The Wall is Desired" , on which citizens write down their dreams. City holidays, parades, and weekend markets are held here.

Economically, the revitalization of the Cheonggecheon River stimulated business activity in its vicinity. The number of small business outlets increased, and the value of land increased by almost half. In turn, the river and green spaces influenced the climatic conditions in the city center. The cooling effect had a positive effect on the vegetation, the flow of fresh air in the city center became much greater.

Seoul's experience serves as an example of successful large-scale revitalization of the river, not only in terms of hydrotechnical works, but also in terms of regulating the interaction between city government, the public, and business.

• The width of the river is 13–19 m
• The length of the concreted section is 5864 m
• Excavations and reconstruction of the river lasted for 2 years
• 10 times an hour, Cheonggecheon is supplied with water from the Hangang River
• The total cost of the project is $380.000.000

 

River Fez

Fez Morocco

The city of Fez is one of the oldest cities in Morocco, the historic center of which is included in the UNESCO world heritage. The Fes River, which gave birth to the city of the same name, was not so long ago a sewer filled with garbage, the water in which was filled with chemicals - the result of traditional Fes crafts - leather processing and copper smelting. The city authorities did not ask the question of saving the river, but gradually began to block its individual parts with concrete slabs, on which spontaneous parking lots and traffic junctions arose.

In 2004, the UNESCO Committee demanded the correction of the situation and the return of the river to its natural state. The city needed an architectural project that would not only bring the river back to the surface, but would also help the citizens realize its value.

At the same time, Fez received a grant for sewage drainage and water purification, and it was the most fortunate moment to think about the global revitalization of the main water artery of the city. In 2008, the EAST (Bureau of Ecological Architecture & Systems of Tomorrow) architectural bureau of the Moroccan-Canadian architect Aziza Chauna, together with the architect Takako Tajima, began the restoration of the Fes River and the creation of public spaces along its course.

"At a certain moment, I realized that I could not tolerate the destruction of the river, such an important part of my city," said Aziza Chauny at the TED conference. "We proposed to create pedestrian zones along the shoreline and connect them with the city streets, and turn the empty areas near the river into public spaces, which the city lacks."

To date, the project has not yet been completed, pedestrian routes along the river have not yet been laid, and the water has not been completely purified. Nevertheless, the improvement is already noticeable. The river has been freed from a concrete prison, its ecological condition and appearance allow residents to spend time on its banks. Traffic-free embankments, on which public spaces are now located, also contribute to this. And most importantly, the revitalization of the Fes River became the first, but fundamentally important step for the revitalization of the city as a whole. According to Aziza Chauna, "I brought back the river, I revived the city to life."

• 2 treatment plants were built for wastewater filtration

 

Manzanares River

Madrid. Spain

By the mid-70s, Madrid was faced with rapid automobilization. On this wave, the M-30 ring road was built, one of the sections of which was laid along both banks of the Manzanares River, which flows in the western part of the city. According to the plan of the authorities, the multi-lane highway was supposed to relieve the traffic of the city center and improve the traffic situation in the capital of Spain. Expectations were not met: very soon the volume of traffic passing on the highway exceeded its carrying capacity, and traffic jams became a common phenomenon here. Without bringing solutions to transport problems, the new highway significantly worsened the environmental situation of nearby areas, which quickly lost prestige, real estate here fell significantly in price, and vacant lots were left abandoned for a long time.

Madrid Rio has become one of the largest projects of the revitalization of urban natural objects in Europe and represents a good example for other cities

By 2003, the city authorities had finally established themselves in the idea of ​​the need to correct the current situation — it was decided to hide the highway in underground tunnels, and to build a recreational zone along the banks of the river. In 2005, the idea of ​​the revitalization of Manzanares shores took shape in the master plan of the Madrid Rio park, created by the MRIO Arquitectos group, which united three Spanish architectural workshops and the Dutch office West8.

The revitalization project affected an area of ​​650 hectares in 6 districts of Madrid. Wastelands and industrial zones were liquidated, existing parks and eight historic bridges across Manzanares were reconstructed. New bridges were also built, which in themselves represent architectural value - for example, the Arganzuela pedestrian bridge made of stainless steel designed by Dominique Perrault, and mosaic bridges. In the newly created recreational zones along the river, there are children's and sports grounds, 30 kilometers of bicycle paths have been laid, fruit and ornamental gardens have been laid out, open cafes, concert halls and a cultural center. Hydrotechnical works were also carried out - the silty riverbed was cleaned, dams and reservoirs were erected to collect rainwater, in order to avoid the silting up of Manzanares in hot weather.

The idea of ​​revitalization of Manzanares was not supported by everyone - the residents of neighboring houses did not want to see and hear a large construction project under their windows, which stretched over several years. In response, the city authorities conducted a large-scale explanatory work among the population, explaining to people what benefits they will receive from the revitalization of the river in the future, in particular, how much their apartments, in a previously unprestigious area, will increase in price.

A consensus was reached and, despite all the difficulties, by 2011 the project was finished - the Madrid Rio Park opened - although the process of beautification of the area along the river and the expansion of the green belt is still ongoing. In the future, all the green recreational areas of Madrid will be connected into a single continuous ecological corridor.

• 30 kilometers of cycle paths were laid
• 650 hectares of transformed territories
• The transformed section of the river is 8 kilometers long
• 6 districts of Madrid were affected by the revitalization of Manzanares
• 17 playgrounds in the park
• It took 6 years to implement the project
• 40 kilometers of new tunnels have been dug

 

Delaware River

Philadelphia. USA

The general plan of Philadelphia, adopted in 2012, should turn the banks of the Delaware River into an "extension of the city" - a recreational pedestrian zone with bicycle paths. A characteristic feature of this project is the reconstruction of now-abandoned piers — some of them will be adapted for residential and commercial real estate, and some will become small river parks.

In addition to the arrangement of green zones on the coastline, so-called "connectors" are planned - green strips designed by architects from Bryan Hanes Studio, which will connect the embankment with the network of city streets. There are also plans to build a large park directly facing the river.

The implementation of the revitalization project of the Delaware River and its surroundings is now in progress, and all its details are going through public discussions, announced in advance by the city media.

• 13 parks along the 10-kilometer coastline
• 6.5 kilometers of pedestrian and bicycle routes
• 39 hectares of open space
• 202 hectares of transformed territories

 

Pasig River

Manila Philippines

The Philippine capital of Manila coexisted with the ecologically dead Pasig River for more than thirty years. The main problem was its pollution - both industrial waste and the products of life of numerous natural settlements on its banks were dumped into the river. The stench of water in the river began to spread in the 70s.

Since the 1990s, the river has been recognized as biologically dead

Today, many civil organizations are actively fighting to clean the river. They are also supported by the government, which hopes to attract more tourists to the city, counting on the potential attraction for them of the revived central river. Since 2010, the charity marathon "Run for the Pasig River" has been held; a commission for the restoration of the Pasig River was organized to ensure that local residents did not dump waste into the river and that industrial enterprises, residential buildings or illegal settlements were not located closer than 10 meters from the river. As a result, several tributaries of the river (more than forty of them in total) have been cleaned today, broken flower beds and green areas can be seen on their banks.

Ukraine

The global trend of revitalization of urban waterways has reached Kyiv, where 13 rivers flow in concrete collectors under its streets and squares! Literally an hour ago, the mayor of the capital Vitaliy Klychko signed an order of the Kyiv city administration on the construction of the "Pochayna" park in the Obolon district. The authors of the project, which won a closed competition in May last year, are architects Valentin Uvarov and Vitaly Tkach. We decided to learn more about "Pochayne" and the situation around other Kyiv rivers.

 

Pochaina

Kiev

The river is historical and mythological - it is possible that the baptism of Rus took place in it, pagan idols were thrown into it, and fairy tales about the Serpent Horynych are associated with it. But in the 1930th century, Pochaina disappeared from the map of the city. In the 1970s, a railway semi-ring was laid in the area of ​​present-day Obolona, ​​an embankment was made, and the Pochaynin channel was directed to the east so that the river would not flood the railway. In the XNUMXs, a part of the overland channel of the Pochayny within the limits of Kyiv was placed in a sewage collector, and the river turned into a system of Opechen lakes. Today it is a water system consisting of six reservoirs — so-called "lakes" — connected by concrete collectors, and a small river flowing from the last reservoir. Do many people today in Kyiv even know where Pochaina flows?

"Let's see, near Pochayninskaya Street. I do not know. After all, it has long been underground" — Tamara Dorohozhina, a resident of Obolona, ​​lives near Jordan Lake.

Of those who do know about the disposition and condition of Pochainy, the majority generally approve of the revitalization, but do not believe too much in the possibility of its implementation.

"Of course, a clean river with green banks is better than what we have now. But who will deal with it? The city already has enough problems," Oleg Ustinov, a resident of Kyiv.

However, there is hope that such forecasts are not justified. Pochaina became the first small river, the restoration of which was seriously undertaken by the capital's authorities. The project is currently being collaborated with Korean experts who carried out the revitalization of Cheongjeong in Seoul. The Pragmatika platform was consulted about the state of revitalization of Pochayna by Annabella Morina, a local expert and the founder of the NGO "Public Movement Pochayna". According to her, last year an all-Ukrainian architectural competition was held to create a park with elements of revitalization of the river. The winner was the project of Valentin Uvarov and Vitaly Tkacha: it involves raising the river to the surface on the site near Lake Jordan; in the second section, the river must be freed from a concrete tray; on the section of the Pochayn natural riverbed - it is cleaned, the natural condition of its banks, flora and fauna is restored. For the implementation of the project, it is necessary to prepare a land acquisition and conclude an agreement with the authors of the project. Upon his signature, the architects will already draw up a working project for the creation of the park, and hydrology as a separate part of the project will be tendered.

"Last year, an all-Ukrainian architectural competition was held to create a park with elements of river revitalization"

 

Annabella Moryna, local historian, founder of "Public Movement Pochayna" OO

Not everyone agrees with the ideas of the winning project, in particular with the idea of ​​returning the shores of Pochayny to their natural state.

"The park around the river may be a good idea, but it should not be built in the style of Seoul, which is talked about a lot today, but in the style of, for example, Simferopol. After all, the rivers in Kyiv perform the function of storm collectors and can overflow in the rain. In Simferopol, there is also a river and a park, but the river flows in sufficiently high banks so that when the amount of water increases, it does not overflow into the park territory. At the same time, it is decorated in a civil manner, wrought-iron figured railings like on bridges, granite bed like the embankment of the Dnieper" — member of KSA (Kyiv speleological association) Ivan Denisovich Shukhov.

And nevertheless, the question of revitalization of Pochayny Segodny is extremely acute. Actually, why precisely Pochayna? Why should the revitalization of Kyiv's rivers begin precisely with it? According to Valentin Uvarov, lead architect of Urban Experts, one of the authors of the winning project, there are many reasons for this. In addition to the historical and cultural significance of the Pochayny for Kyiv, it is important that of all the small rivers of the city, the state of the Pochayny is the most suitable for revitalization. Valentyn Uvarov: "Most of the small rivers of Kyiv have been in the underground world for a long time, and it is very problematic to reach them, and, alas, it is difficult to justify. Now we need to focus on those rivers that still flow on the surface and can fully show a positive result during revitalization."

Revitalization is not only landscaping or construction, but the process of reviving the environment as a whole, filling the place with new meanings and functions

Unlike other small rivers, the Pochayna is not completely hidden underground, part of its channel flows on the surface in an almost natural way - this makes it an ideal pilot project for revitalization of the river for Kyiv.

In general, in the process of revitalization of rivers, the main approach should be a comprehensive solution to the problem of the water artery itself and the territory around it. According to Valentin Uvarov, the fact that the process of revitalization of rivers in Kyiv is proceeding so slowly and with great difficulties is not surprising and corresponds to the situation in the world - for example, talks about the revitalization of the main river of Los Angeles have been going on for 20 years and still have not brought result However, the very vector of development in which the city plans to move is important.

 

Lybid

Kiev

The second, no less significant and no less famous river is Lybed. Every schoolchild knows about her role in the history of Kyiv, but there is, alas, nothing to say about her current role in the life of the city. Almost completely placed in a concrete collector, polluted, hidden from the eyes of citizens, however, the question of its revitalization has long been raised by initiative groups.

Today's situation was commented on by the founder of Zemlia architectural studio, co-founder of the Lybid Ye project, Semen Polomany. According to him, the Lybeda revitalization project has been suspended for today. During the discussion, the initiators of the project faced many obstacles: in particular, according to the master plan of Kyiv, the construction of a flyover is planned over the Lybeda riverbed, which may prevent the creation of recreational zones along the river. A problem can also be the presence of dense construction in many areas along the Lybeda channel; in addition, the proposal for the revitalization of Lybeda is met with resistance as an inappropriate use of the city's territory.

"Since Lybed is of historical, cultural and ecological importance, its revitalization should become one of the priority tasks for the city."

 

Semyon Polomany, architect

In general, the development of "blue" and "green corridors" in Kyiv is not included in the city's strategy. Semyon Polomany initiated the creation of the Concept of Landscape Preservation and Development of Kyiv, which will be taken into account in the development of the General Plan in the future. But in this case, the result is also not yet achieved.

Semyon Polomany: "Today, we have suspended the revitalization process of Lybeda. We are looking for other ways, ways and time. This is a really difficult task, since we are not talking about some local and inexpensive events. The river is an infrastructural object that requires both a large amount of money and quality management of urban projects, which, by the way, still does not exist. Ideally, we need a separate structure that will deal with various urban projects, including river revitalization projects."

Nevertheless, of all Kyiv's rivers, the situation with the Lybedya is the one that the citizens are most concerned about. Many people have a good idea of ​​its location, have seen it in a ditch near Yamskaya Street, and understand the revitalization of Lybeda as the beginning of the revitalization of its half-abandoned, formerly industrial neighborhoods.

"If Lybeda returned to its normal form, the situation with all the territories adjacent to it would change radically. Now there is nothing there, some abandoned buildings and warehouses. If they really build, as they say, all kinds of recreation areas and so on along the embankment, then people will go there, and the whole area will come to life." — Nikolay Ivanyuk, a resident of Kyiv, lives on Malevich Street.

But still, the idea of ​​revitalization of Lybeda is not supported by everyone.

"What some activists want, in particular the organization "Libid Ye", seems to me to be rosy dreams, very detached from reality. During seasonal floods or sudden inundations caused by precipitation, the Swan comes out of its ditch quite quickly (about 10 minutes) and drowns the surrounding beef. It is difficult to change anything here, even with very large funding. Accordingly, no capital constructions on the shores are permissible - at least they will be covered with garbage, and at most - they will be washed away. But even if we imagine that it was somehow possible to regulate the flow of water, the river will still have cloudy water and an unpleasant smell in our geology (loess and sandstone). I am often given the example of the Cheonggecheon River in Seoul. Like, if you install cleaning mechanisms to make the water clean and smell nice, if you regulate the flow with all kinds of bypasses, then there will be a park and a recreation area. I don't believe it. As a result, we will not get a revitalized river, but a giant artificial fountain" — Member of KSA (Kyiv Spelestological Association) Feodosiy Pecherskyi.

 

Dnieper

Kiev

The main river is not only the capital's but also the country's, one of the largest waterways in Europe. Perception of Kyiv is impossible in isolation from the Dnieper, however, over the past few decades, we have been observing the process of alienation (including forced alienation) of the river. Thus, according to the data of the "Stolen Dnipro" project, in 2015, 85% of the Dnieper slopes were not accessible to city residents. The highway runs through the entire embankment, and the few pedestrian routes along the river are blocked by cars, and there is also a lack of overpasses and an excess of fences, thickets, and garbage. All this limits access to the river, prevents the embankment from developing as a recreational zone, which it is in many European cities.

Another urgent problem of the Dnieper is its pollution. During the XNUMXth century, industrial enterprises were built along its course, many of which dumped - and still dump - waste into the river. This leads to the deterioration of water quality from year to year, which is clearly evidenced by the monitoring and analysis of the results of hydrochemical studies conducted by specialists of the Dnieper Basin Water Resources Management.

A separate question is the liquidation of dams and, accordingly, reservoirs on the Dnieper, and the return of the river to its natural course. Such a radical tendency is now widely discussed in the world. Often, the harm from changing the natural state of the river exceeds the benefit from hydropower plants — in particular, with such an artificial change in the channel, the river loses its ability to self-clean. Today's pollution of the Dnieper, in addition to the already mentioned external factors, is to a large extent due to its inability to self-purify.

Projects for improving the condition of the Dnieper embankments within Kyiv and revitalizing industrial zones along its course are being developed today, however, unfortunately, they have not yet yielded significant results. The question of the liquidation of reservoirs on the Dnieper is only beginning to be raised and also has not yet received sufficient development.

 

Glubochitsa

Kiev

The longest underground river in Kyiv is 9 km. As well as Pochaina, known since the times of Kievan Rus. Today, its channel is located directly under the street of the same name, connecting Podol and Lukyanovka. Before, Hlubochytsa was a small but full-water river; back in the 1871th century, its bottom was paved with cobblestones, and trees were planted along the banks, forming a boulevard. But the rapid growth of industrial enterprises and the massive discharge of sewage into the river led to the fact that among the people of Kyiv, it began to be called nothing but a "sewage ditch". In XNUMX, the Podolsky part of Hlubochytsa was hidden underground, and already after the Second World War, the rest of its channel was placed in a concrete collector, into which sewage was also released. The underground river still suffers from pollution — in particular, dirty water from the drains of the Zhytnego market gets into it.

Today Hlubochytsa is of interest only to diggers, who are attracted by the architecturally interesting parts of the collector — built back in the XNUMXth century, representing a high arched brick passage. Among them, opinions against the potential revitalization of Hlubochytsia are expressed.

The sewer collector with high brick arches is unique in itself from an architectural point of view and entered into the registers as "Archaeological object 165"

"I strongly disagree here. Hlubochytsa is one of the first Kyiv rivers to be buried underground. Now most of it flows in a beautiful brick collector of the middle of the XNUMXth century, which, moreover, is a candidate for inclusion in the list of objects of cultural heritage. It is better to preserve this monument of engineering architecture of imperial and pre-war times than to dig a ditch and face all the problems that caused the river to be buried under the ground" — Member of KSA (Kiev speleological association) Feodosiy Pechersky.

As of today, there is no talk of accepting projects for the revitalization of Hlubochytsia.

 

Text: Anastasia Korneyko

/Published in #01 volume Pragmatika, May 2018/