What was once a dividing line between the north and south parts of the city has been recreated as an urban park that bridges the gap and brings people together. Over 75% of the material torn down from the old highway was reused to construct the park and rehabilitate the stream. Now fish, bird and insects have made their way back into the urban river, and the area surrounding the park is about 3.6 deg C cooler than other parts of the city.
In addition to the restoration project, Seoul has also implemented transportation planning, rerouting traffic through other corridors and adding more public transportation. As a result there has been a decrease in the number of vehicles entering the city and bus and subway use has increased. Even though the city took away one of the major thoroughfares, they were able to redirect and decrease traffic through efficient planning and expanded public transportation. Sounds like an amazing renewal project with many, many benefits.
Via Treehugger and Fast Company
[...] an open circulation plan around the building’s interior program. Culture Forest is like an urban park wrapped up inside of a building with benches, trees, lush vegetation, and places to relax and [...]
Wow! I’m really impressed by Seoul’s commitment to sustainability. It’s difficult to imagine another city willing to destroy in order to restore a stream. I think it speaks to a more human understanding of the world we’ve created.