Green Options

Livecams in Seoul, South Korea show that if governments build green areas, people will use them.

The Cheonggyecheon stream was an ambitious green restoration project. It turned six kilometers of downtown Seoul from a polluting expressway into a relaxing, tree-lined stream. In restoring the stream, 95% of the expressway’s cement and 100% of the steel was carefully salvaged and recycled.

The stream was opened to the public in 2005. Since then, it’s been a popular destination for Seoulites looking for green areas in Korea’s largest metropolis.

Surprisingly, the Cheonggyecheon is little known to foreign tourists. If you travel to Seoul and you’re looking for a breath of fresh air as well as a glimpse at the archeological sites revealed during the stream’s excavation, be sure not to miss a visit to this successful urban greening project.

The location for the modern capitol of South Korea was chosen over 600 years ago. The story of Seoul begins with a new dynasty, a monk, and a legendary stream. Around 1394, a monk sent to find the location for a new capitol city came upon an area surrounded by low mountains. The feature that gave the land the proper feng shui was a small stream, the Cheonggyecheon, running from the mountains into the mighty Han River. Swayed by the small stream, the monk convinced the early Joseon rulers that this was the perfect site for the capitol. It was to become Seoul.

However, as Seoul grew, the stream became increasingly polluted. Eventually, it was deemed a health hazard. Middle-aged Koreans today remember it as nothing more than a sewer. Finally, the order was given to pave over Cheonggyecheon stream. In 1968–South Korea’s industrial heyday–former dictator Park Chung-hee ordered an expressway over top of the ancient stream. And so it was… until the new century.