The largest urban renewal undertaking in Korean his-tory, the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project, began in July 2003 in Seoul. The Cheonggyecheon (CHEON-gay-cheon) is a stream that flows from east to west across the northern half of Seoul. It had been covered by concrete to form a roadway that became one of the capital's major arterials. An expressway was later built above the road to handle increased traffic loads. The renewal project will seek to restore the environmental health of the stream by removing the highway structures and the elevated expresway. In the process it will also breathe new life into the area economically. The endeavor is more than a simple urban renewal project in this 600-year-old city. The first goal of the project is to establish an uninterrupted tract of green space running across the city from east to west and to give residents access to an open waterway. Second, the project will, it is hoped, be a boon to the local economy. The northern part of Seoul is less prosperous than the southern, and the project is intended to redress the balance. And since the elevated expressway and the structures beneath it covering the stream were showing signs of deterioration, the undertaking will also address safety concerns.
展开▼
