Seoul (2) - Cheonggyecheon

Cheonggyecheon River Restoration Project

Seoul, Korea

2 August 2008

In the 1970s, it was considered a symbol of progress when the Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul, Korea, was covered and a road and elevated freeway were built above it. But by the year 2000, the Cheonggye area was considered the most congested and noisy part of Seoul, badly in need of revitalization, and people agreed that nothing could be done to improve the area as long as the road and freeway remained.
When Lee Myung-bak was elected Mayor of Seoul in 2001, one of his key campaign promises was to remove this freeway and restore the Cheonggyecheon River. He developed a dramatic plan to remove Seoul's major freeway and to accommodate the displaced traffic by building a Bus Rapid Transit system and by cutting automobile use in half. (continue reading here)

Text taken from the website Removing Freeways, Restoring Cities.

For more detailed information concerning the project, the history of the Cheonggyecheon River, "before" and after" pictures, etc., read here and here.