Jack Becker, during his travels as organizer of next year’s Velo-City conference, had a chance to visit Seoul – and of course took a look at that city’s great urban achievement: the Cheonggyecheon:
One has to salute the wisdom and foresight of the conceiver of this idea: tear down an expressway that covered over an old stream that was then, very polluted and replace it with a linear park.
At 8.3 kilometres it is ever so much more ambitious than the Highline in New York
or the Promenade Plantee in Paris – but hardly as well known. And yet:
It combines all the elements that makes it a complete design. Elements of breathing fresh air, exercise, sports, the arts from visual to sensual, performance, mosaics to statue, places to sit and think, relax, to listen to the city and its creatures, light as artistic expression and live art that changes regularly with various public art installations along the way, including sculpture of woman carrying a water jug.
Much more here – including notes on the bike-share system and cycling conditions in Seoul.
All photos by Jack.
There is a great 30-minute documentary on this project, which is part of the e² series produced by PBS:
The full-length DVDs are available at most libraries, and feature episodes on Paris, London, Portland, etc. Highly recommended!