Recovering the Stream: Contestation about River Access as a Catalyst for New Eco-City Development in Suwon City, South Korea

This chapter looks at the contestation over river access in an industrial city of South Korea. In the city of Suwon, a small stream had been covered with concrete in the context of rapid economic development during the 1990s—a decision taken in order to facilitate additional road construction. A decision that was originally uncontested, indeed welcomed by local business, did eventually generate an environmental and societal backlash, leading to the restoration of access to the stream. Beyond this, the experience had wide-ranging repercussions for local politics and the identity of the city. This chapter discusses the way in which access to the river became a key issue in local politics and ultimately led to the transformation of Suwon into a recognized eco-city.