Seoul Shows the way, Removes Freeway to make way for Stream
It is common for growing ciites to destroy or remove, or at least, subdue any natural element that would come in its path of “development.” This is more or less true for every single city in the world, even Seoul. The only reason we single out Seoul here is because it has recently taken a commendable step, that of reclaiming a stream that had earlier been wiped out to make way for a freeway.
The age old man-made stream was gradually covered in concrete, and by the mid-seventies, there was a highway on top of it. City planners in an attempt to make the city more environment friendly, pulled down the highway in 2003 and set off to restore the stream.
Two years and $281 million later, the stream was restored, and a 5.8 km long urban garden appeared right in the middle of the city. The park was built wisely, using nearly 75% of the material from the highway that was removed.
Source: Inhabitat
