How a City Demolished a Freeway to Restore an Ancient River System into an Urban Green Space

Seoul is the capital and largest city in South Korea. It's considered a megacity because it has a population of over ten million people.
Seoul also has the third largest metropolitan population among Asian cities, and is the fifth largest in the world, with 26 million people.
Seoul has been continuously settled for over 2,000 years, due to the fact The Capital Area occupies a plain in the Han River valley.
It contains some of the most fertile land on the Korean peninsula, although relatively little of it is used for agriculture today.
The framework for modern-day Seoul began to emerge as the construction of electrical facilities, railroads, streetcar tracks, parks, waterworks systems, schools, and hospitals commenced at the end of the 19th century with the opening of the port.
By the 1950s the population was around 1 million people which grew 10-fold by the end of the century
During the 1960s and 70s Seoul experienced serious urban issues due to extensive population inflow, such as traffic congestion, environmental pollution, formation of illegal settlement areas, and housing shortages.
However in just 50 years, Seoul has managed to turn this around by resolving various urban problems to grow and advance into a smart city where 10 million people live comfortably today and it is considered one of the greenest megacities in the world with 27.80% public parks and gardens.
This can be considered major accomplishment for any city especially for Seoul which ranks number 7 in most densely populated cities in the world.
In comparison Tokyo only has 7.5% green spaces, despite having less than half the population density of Seoul City.
In this video we are going to show how Seoul city has transformed a traffic congested multi lane highway by restoring 5.84 km riverside into a walkable urban green space.
Making the Chengygheon river restoration on of the most successful urban green mega projects in the world.
_________________________
🔔 SUBSCRIBE with Bell notification ON
✍ ENQUIRES contact: [e-mail]
_________________________
🌳 More Greening the City Projects: • Greening the City Proj...
_________________________
💚 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
Help us share more regenerative stories:
/ leafoflifefilms
One time donation:
www.paypal.com...
_________________________
This video is for education and research purposes
If you are the owner of any of the images please contact us an we can credit or remove the image, THANK YOU
FAIR USE COPYRIGHT NOTICE
The Copyright Laws of the United States recognizes a “fair use” of copyrighted content. Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act states:
“NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF SECTIONS 106 AND 106A, THE FAIR USE OF A COPYRIGHTED WORK, INCLUDING SUCH USE BY REPRODUCTION IN COPIES OR PHONORECORDS OR BY ANY OTHER MEANS SPECIFIED BY THAT SECTION, FOR PURPOSES SUCH AS CRITICISM, COMMENT, NEWS REPORTING, TEACHING (INCLUDING MULTIPLE COPIES FOR CLASSROOM USE), SCHOLARSHIP, OR RESEARCH, IS NOT AN INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT.”
THIS VIDEO AND OUR KZbin CHANNEL IN GENERAL MAY CONTAIN CERTAIN COPYRIGHTED WORKS THAT WERE NOT SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZED TO BE USED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER(S), BUT WHICH WE BELIEVE IN GOOD FAITH ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL LAW AND THE FAIR USE DOCTRINE FOR ONE OR MORE OF THE REASONS NOTED ABOVE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC CONCERNS ABOUT THIS VIDEO OR OUR POSITION ON THE FAIR USE DEFENSE, PLEASE CONTACT US IN THE COMMENTS OR SEND AN EMAIL SO WE CAN DISCUSS AMICABLY. THANK YOU.
#greencity
#megacity
#walkablecity

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

⏩watch more river restorations here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ_ZpIaLrM11i9k What do you think? Do we need more river restorations in our cities world wide? 💦🌿 Let us know what you think in the comments below and we will get back to you :) 👇 If you like this video, make sure to hit 👍 and... You might want to watch how a city demomished a freeway to restore and ancient river ▶️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3qYooB6eMipiqs

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

We had a pin comment here from a viewer about the situation for local business owners, and a first hand account but unfortunately the commenter has taken it down 😪

[@BeLovelyOK]

When i visited Seoul, I was impressed by all the greenery i saw…I think the quality of life is better when there is more nature surrounding you

[@Iceyfire12]

They suffer from heavy pollution in the air at times to point it burns!

[@elekow7998]

@@Iceyfire12 According to Ministry of Environment, 52% of Korean fine dust and 70% ~ 80% of ultrafine dust are introduced from China. Korea's efforts alone are limited

[@jasonhutchins9239]

Also keeps the ground cooler. So this would actualy help woth the environment unlike electric everything

[@SeoWoojin55]

@@Iceyfire12 lol what a troll, I am living in Seoul and it isnt even that way lol. Its possibly the greenest Asian major city although we have a fine dust problem udring certain months due to our proximity to China

[@Iceyfire12]

@@SeoWoojin55 what troll? I said due to pollution Seoul still suffers from it regardless of whether you are the greenest. I’ve had friends tell me and also other English speaking vloggers in Seoul talk about it also.

[@wrightgregson9761]

very impressive. I am a enthusiastic supporter of this sort of "retrofitting" of the urban environment. Go Korea!!!!

[@blank.9301]

Let's use ecosia

[@taramansion]

Please more cities do this! The average city is nothing short of a hellscape.

[@tilmerkan3882]

Kiel in Northern Germany has done this in the old city core. Much smaller scale, though.

[@thokim84]

Boot stomping on a human face forever.

[@skarbuskreska]

Can only speak for European cities and especially Germany, but many are pretty nice if wars did not destroy them.

[@Iceyfire12]

Bangkok is trying! Hopefully Bangkok will be successful! They plan to create a modern/cleaner way of traveling by boat through the canals by using electric boats, Expanding and digging the canals, Providing homes for those who used to live on them. And Creating new pathways on the side of canals that aren’t used.

[@t.miranda176]

Valencia in Spain did something similar to its river, a bit extreme in their case but it worked.

[@constancewalsh3646]

This is beyond belief. Is this for real???? City Authorities actually chose this massive project in the name of Earth and River?? And it was done in TWO YEARS?? I must catch my breath. Thank you, Leaf of Life films, for bringing us the best and most needed education.

[@pastabrain7082]

IIRC I think the original estimate was over 10 years of renovation. The project was divided into 3 sections and construction began on those sections simultaneously.

[@riminissi]

yep it was really that quick - it looked really bad before this project and the then-elected Seoul City Mayor (Lee Myung-bak) was a businessman who used to be one of the most notable contributors in the come-up of HYUNDAI conglomerate (especially in heavy industry sector) expedited this renewal project. After revitalizing Cheonggyecheon (covered in this video) and totally revolutionizing the public transportation system of Seoul, he was elected president of South Korea few years later (2008-2012). Though now his name tarnished due to some scandals (backdoor finance-related), but people still acknowledge his accomplishments during his mayoral stint and his presidency

[@angusosborne3151]

Good on the people of Seoul for taking on such an important project as this. Green urban spaces are needed in cities around the world. Well done Korea.

[@ace-vb7lw]

As someone who has been to Seoul....I have to tell you guys it;s the most BEAUTIFUL place I've ever been to in my life. I visited it 11 times in my 2 month stay. It's just so...peaceful

[@Qaiser481]

Spot on Korea. This has been only possible due to loyalty, devotion, sincere people towards their nation. Zero tolerance for corruption has made it possible.

[@thokim84]

Do you know about Korea and corruption? It was probably corruption which allowed this to happen. The Chaebol system has an embedded corruption between corporations and the government.

[@uwu1832]

Your last sentence isn’t the most true lol but the rest is great

[@jcucumbera8066]

We’re very intolerant for corruption, so we sent this president to jail🤣🤣👍👍🇰🇷

[@m_lies]

"Zero tolerance for corruption" is not really true lol, South Korea has many corruption problems, just look the "Corruption Perceptions Index" up, it's placed 32, so yea, it's good but worse than most rich democratic countries, it's worse than the USA and this says something...

[@jiminswriter4209]

@@uwu1832Korea is not free of corruption, but it does not have that much. Public projects get done very quickly and efficiently.

[@SevCaswell]

I wonder if London might consider doing this with the Fleet river, that runs under Fleet Street...

[@rowboat8343]

I have never considered Korea as a place to visit but I'm impressed. So beautiful and vibrant. Might have to add to my wish list. I love that the wildlife is coming back. I do wonder what happened to the businesses and people that worked there poorly though. I how they were relocated thoughtfully and didn't suffer too greatly.

[@hjban2977]

The ‘CheongGye-Cheon(creeks)’ was built on the area which used to be freeway, so major relocations wasn’t needed. However, there were used to be many old shops, old traditional markets & old businesses along side of these areas which their businesses were affected by this long dusty & noisy constructions projects. And some of businesses & shops who were in 1-3 stories very old buildings(30-50 years old) in this area which needed to be relocated, were offered to move to new high raise shopping complex buildings or received compensation & moved to another area of their own choice. But Seoul city made sure to preserve those Korean traditional markets around these area(such as ‘KwangJang-Market’ & ‘DongDaeMun Market’) which is Seoul’s historical landmarks that has been there for last 120 years & still use by millions of Korean people everyday.

[@peasinourthyme5722]

@@hjban2977 Thanks for the info!

[@dryb3301]

@@hjban2977 this is even more impressive, God, what a country. I love your country and people more everyday.

[@jztouch]

@@hjban2977 I love visiting this area and checking out the little alleys in Dongdaemun and shops in Gwangjang. I always feel like the funky vibes are in danger of being renovated out of existence though. I hope you’re right and the powers that be recognize their value. It’s a fascinating area.

[@sangwoo9686]

Most of south korea is covered with dense forests and mountains. They also have many beaches and islands. It’s actually a very green country. Despite the cities being very dense and modern, korea has a lot of beautiful nature too. You should definitely visit.

[@sofia12346]

Here in Sao Paulo, Brasil, we have a least about 300 rivers and creeks that were turned into big avenues. Im happy to know that this beautiful ideia is maneagable, but it in another hand very sad that it is years away from our politicians minds...

[@sofia12346]

but anyway, this is awesome and everyone should know bout it

[@dannykuang9433]

Sadly if your city/country is still developing infrastructure and has a growing urban population it's the cost of modernization. I don't advocate it, as I find it sad to see rivers and streams turned into open air sewage drains or they're outright covered with concrete. People don't seem to learn until it's too late. I live in NYC and I remember in the 1980's the Hudson and East Rivers smelled so bad and had trash floating everywhere. It's a lot better now, but still a LOOOONG way to go. I hope more cities and countries adapt a more natural and bio diverse approach to their developing or developed cities. The more green, the better off we all are.

[@nathalykim1263]

Brazil and são paulo have a long way to go, there are many social and infrastructural issues in the city, that's why it is pretty difficult to make significant changes, because politicians don't want to do long term investments so they try to fix the immediate issue but not its cause our two main rivers in São Paulo are incredibly polluted and there have been many attempts in cleaning them, from the 90s to now, no one has actually done it, so I'm very suspicious of anyone that claims they are going to clean it, since they usually don't keep their words I have been to Seoul and the han river parks are incredible, one of the best parts of the city, and so is the creak they talk about in the video, cheonggyecheon I think it would be very good for the São Paulo population to have similar spaces to occupy the city at its fullest, Europe does this super well and its one of my favorite thing about European countries I think this would be a crucial aspect for the Brazilian youth, since a lot of people don't have money to afford being in private spaces, which is basically all we have here, like malls, cinemas, restaurants, theaters, gyms, young ppl end up with nothing to do on their free time and that creates space for criminality that's why public spaces like parks, soccer fields, no car avenues, are so important imo (and the ones we have are usually super busy), so I think we would benefit a lot from more initiatives like this

[@georgepetrin1334]

I was teary-eyed when I saw results of resurrecting the river which benefited the citizens of Seoul. One has to wonder how covering it over instead of revitalizing the river ever gained traction in the first place. As taramansion commented below: "Please more cities, do this!"

[@MarloSoBalJr]

Western influence. It paved the way to seek everything as a cars, cArS, CARS! Seoul finally said, "F*CK THAT DIRTY BS!" and made one of the greatest restoration ever seen

[@m_lies]

@@MarloSoBalJr well a lot European cities still have well over 20-50% Greenspace... Even comparable American cittys have a high % of greenspace, A better comparison to Seoul instead of tokyo would have been New York: Greenspace 27.00% population density: 11,313.68 per Km²

[@alexanderpowell1528]

Back in 2004 in Seoul I did an advert for the Cheonggyecheon project- I was the only foreigner to do an advert for this project and the ad is kept now in the museum built for the project. As per standard operating procedure, there was no script upon turning up to shoot the ad so, I just made it up from what I knew of the project and said something like 'Chon-gae-chon elevated highway is a rusting eyesore- it needs to be demolished.' This was said from the driver's seat of the van I was supposed to be driving. Hmm, I got about $400 for that and that was okay because it only took about 3 hours in total to film. What this youtube film fails to mention though is that the original river can no longer flow there naturally so, the water is actually pumped to the point where the open air stream now begins. It's definitely a clean and green stretch in an over-crowded city but, it's not a miracle... I lived there from 2000-2006 and missed the elevated highway in 2006 as there was no traffic at 2am and you could get from East to West quite quickly at that hour.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

We didn't mention it because they have been working on the natural flow of the river and constantly updating areas of it

[@Xentradi97]

I think the miracle is a loose term. For a country or gov to even try and make this happen is since most cant do it or failed due to bureaucracy and other reasons. Korea was an economic basket case. How it didnt end up just another developing country or city in itself is a miracle.

[@thepenelopejones]

....And this was all accomplished in *TWO* years! I'm looking at our highways and bridges which 3-5yrs later are STILL not completed ~ a sad reflection of _heart_ Let's get it done and preferably follow Seoul's outstanding example👌👍💯🌼

[@unka2007]

it took them to accomplish the work for 30 years actually.

[@thepenelopejones]

@@unka2007 Yes I'm sure it was a long ongoing process but the "heart" of it was accomplished in an astounding short period of time - something much of the Northern Americas, has yet to manage. Definitive *hats off* to Seoul and all the countries following in their footsteps. Green space is essential for the planet and for us living here🌼🌳🐌🦋🕊🐟

[@Reyajh]

Wow! Hats off to those leaders who chose to follow the voice of sound reason... So glad to see the dividends pay forth in spades!!!

[@DeLaMethode]

I loved walking there when I was in Korea. You have wonderful cafes, restaurants, shops on the street level and when you want a nice walk in nature you just go down the steps and you have a wonderful peaceful river with greenery.

[@BariumBlue]

Removing the highway (and creating the river park) was possible because of public transit that gave an alternative to commuters. You wouldn't be able to remove the Houston Katy Freeway and replace it with Greenery, because there is no alternative transit such as rail or even brt. Seoul made a smart decision to invest in transit, which then enabled further nice changes like the ones detailed in the video

[@labaccident2010]

Hnnn, the Katy freeway. You wouldn’t be able to do it in most cities in the US in general, sadly. Though the Katy freeway being turned into a green area would be super cool.

[@linzierogers5024]

Forget doing it to the Katy freeway or any main thoroughfare. Americans love their guns and automobiles. Some of Houston's most beautiful scenery is to be found along Buffalo Bayou. If some company with deep pockets comes to town and wants to change the bayou to concrete city, don't bet against it. It is what it is.

[@rafaelserapio5972]

OH WOW!!!! I hope they also do this on Philippines! PROUD TO BE A NATURE LOVER! So Glad It was converted to it's former glory!

[@carolinejayes157]

There are plenty of ways to help Seoul get greener ,1.use viable roof tops for gardens .2grew food veg on roofs ,3 grow greenery suitable plants upside of buildings,4.plant more trees in side walks parks,snall pnds for wildlife ,Certain areas of city only for pedestrians ,and bikes e scooters.

[@tkim2320]

So basically all your points are things that Seoul already does. So wondering if your point is that it needs to do more of what it's doing because it's not enough for Seoul? Or just that these are ideas you think Seoul can implement because you didn't know they already do that? I'm just curious. If Seoul plants any more trees in sidewalks, you won't be able to walk on the sidewalk as the trees are generally more mature than, let's say sidewalk trees in the US.

[@jaehongsong4904]

The former president, then mayor of Seoul, created this plan and completed it despite heavy criticism from the opposing democratic party

[@shaynewhite1]

Highways are great from getting to city/region A to city/region B but they should not be filling up a city's interior. Great job Seoul!

[@kimberleypex]

Great initiative! And a beautiful place ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@Sacto1654]

They could do this because Seoul's excellent public transit system could replace that highway in terms of commuters.

[@primary8775]

Seoul sets the world standards and hopefully many other cities in the world either rivals or make it even better! Great job Korea.

[@carolinegray7510]

Well done, Korea! So much beauty in culture, art, music and gardens in Korea. It is good to strive to return to what resources were there and to repair/replace as you did the Chongi Chong river. And look! Nature came back and the people were rewarded.

[@pedromiguelalmeida4446]

Beautiful. For years that I'm also studing the impact of waterfronts (parks an encircling nature) on cities and it's inhabitants quality of life and even self-esteem. Images like the ones present on the video continue to give me hope we'll chose the right path

[@sarthaksrivastava3877]

Earlier i used to be a fan of freeways and grid iron cities but since I started exploring asian cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei. I have realized they look much better as they are a good mix of nature and city life.

[@ferahl]

Most of the world's greenest cities are in Europe

[@briankim2903]

​@@ferahl London, Paris, Rome.. just to name a few European cities are vastly lower population density but are some of the dirtiest cities in the world.. only thing going for them is their traditional older architecture.. however outdated and lacking in modernization..... very insufficient infrastructure.. filthy poor public transit.. and all with high crime rates.. with these cities being having litter everywhere... citizens have no collective care for their cities... i wouldn't consider those cities as "green" at all. Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, just to name a few Asian cities .. are all mega cities.. densely populated.. with very low to non-existent crime.. very clean.. very efficient infrastructure and public transport.. very modern and super clean... advanced technology, first class amenities for the public.. etc...... Seoul has some of the nicest parks and green spaces in the city... where people gather, have picnics, ride bikes, etc..... throughout the day and night.. so sure.. European cities have more "space".. but very literrered and unsafe to even use freely without worrying about sketchy people..

[@ferahl]

@@briankim2903 I'm not disagreeing - in fact Seoul and Singapore are one of the greenest cities in Asia (not Tokyo though with 7.8% green land if I recall). I'm talking about greenest cities rather than the other stuff, not that there aren't well functioning and very clean cities in Europe (not including Paris or Rome I agree, although London for the most part is clean and around 40% is green space). If you search "greenest cities in the world" you will notice most of them are in the West - Asian cities in general are not very green with a few exceptions (Singapore, Seoul, and Hangzhou)

[@sarthaksrivastava3877]

@@ferahl yea ik I love Europe too!

[@m_lies]

@@briankim2903 "European cities are vastly lower population density" Yea, but also not really, most big European cities have a population density of around 3000-5000 per Km², but It's not so much smaller than most other cities around the world, only a few cities are actually over 15,000 per Km², and about 15 European cities have a density over 10,000 per Km²... for example, population density: seoul: 15,7 per Km² Singapore: 8,358 per Km² Tokyo: 6,158 per Km² Paris: 20,909 per Km² Athen: 17,040 per Km² London: 5,701 per Km² Vienna: 4.657 per Km² Zürich: 4592 per Km² Stockholm: 4,175 per Km² berlin: 3,809 per Km² ----- "but are some of the dirtiest cities in the world" were in the world did you get that? that's so wrong, just look it up... For example in the 500 city long List with the of most Air polluted cities in the world, the first and second most polluted European cities are "Tuzla" and "Lukavac" both from Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are placed is 86 & 89, the third most polluted European is placed 289 "Slavonski Brod" from “Croatia”. Overall only about 31 European cities are in the list of the 500 most polluted cities, and all of them are from 4 European countries. Or look at the Environmental Performance Index, it measures the cleanliness and environmental friendliness of 180 countries around the world, nearly all top places are European countries… ----- " very insufficient infrastructure.." That's false Europe has good highway and rail systems, only some east European countries have problems with it. "filthy poor public transit" I only use public transit whenever I go around Europe and have rarely seen something being in such poor condition. " and all with high crime rates" Please what? Did you even look at the crime index? Japan is pretty good, but many other European countries are on the same level… " with these cities being having litter everywhere", apart from some places in pairs, London and Athens, most are pretty clean… " so sure.. European cities have more "space".. but very literrered and unsafe to even use freely without worrying about sketchy people.." wtf, were you ever to a European country? Or did you mistake it as the USA or something?? Literary every park is always stuffed with people picnicking, playing, or doing sports lol... Also something important you didn't mention workers rights which in japan is something not as defined as in most european countries, also look at the Global Gender Gap Report, japan ranked 116th out of 146 countries and so on...

[@jonathanchang1574]

What amazes me is 2 years. Here in America, the same project would have taken over a decade.

[@myunglee3683]

Korean peoples are impatient. Everything should be done efficiently and quickly. If not, public officers are removed quickly by losing election. And businesses lose and are perished quickly.

[@HK-dh9tb]

No joke it took 20 years to expand the width of I-5 in WA for the stretch of a few miles.

[@daisyy99]

Yes, Korea, this is very beautiful. Improved air, and a lovely place to walk. Win-win.

[@antarbenson9328]

They need to do this in Detroit. I-375 is slated to be removed anyway... making it a tributary to the river would be dope.

[@_harish_1104]

Love from India 💖

[@nicolaablett7790]

AWESOMENESS More greening, wilding life reaffirming

[@johnpannebaker5757]

This exactly what my city, Albuquerque, should do with all the arroyos we've turned into concrete tubes, shuttling water as fast as possible down to the Rio Grande. Rip out the concrete, plant local trees and bushes, reduce heat, increase biodiversity, and create more parkland.

[@Wanboy]

Breaking bad

[@CombatHD3]

arroyo like br-bre-breaking bad??? 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

[@kiwi007]

Amazing they could complete it in such a short time. In my country it would be 10. They have enough trouble with keeping the roads pot hole free.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

Which country is that? Acess to wealth, resources, and skilled workers as well as climatic conditions are all factors that can affect the time scale of projects

[@Michaelisinachair]

Where I live. More like ten years to plan on how to do the project.

[@kiwi007]

@@LeafofLifeWorld Auckland, New Zealand. Everything is so slow to get done, absolutely ridiculous. The whole of Downtown Auckland city centre has been in turmoil for the underground tunnel. Businesses have gone under because its stopped foot traffic. Any project is painful here. Takes 5 workers to dig a hole in the road, 4 watching the 1 in the hole!

[@kwj_nekko_6320]

I think the rapid construction was able because all land required in the construction were already public owned. If the project includes private lands (like developing new residential complex, extending a new railroad line, or building a mega shopping district), the land acquirement tends to go into trouble and the projects are delayed. Railway construction in Korea is notoriously slow especially when compared to Japan (the fact that railway is always in lower priority than road in Korea does not help, either).

[@pegasus2215]

That’s very good project! I hope we can do this too in my country’s Pasig River, the Heart river of our Capital, Metro Manila, traversing from Laguna Lake & Manila Bay.

[@saintielrivera6629]

Ay naku. Gusto nga nla patuyan ng flyover. The parex parang mga ewan. Papatayin tlga nla ang pasig river. kamusta nmn kaya ang baha pag natuloy yan? Sa pasigvriver dumadaan ang tubig palavas sa manila bay eh

[@droidnautica]

@@saintielrivera6629 not only that, lahat ng mga infrastructure projects nila car centric. Paano kaming mga commuters na walang private vehicles na sa public transpo lang dumedepende? sunod sabi pa ng DoTR yung ibang projects daw madedelay dahil walang pondo. Ayayay pilipinas

[@taniesaz2230]

@@droidnautica not only that but manila is not a walkable city thats why transportation is bad here. yes, it is more car centric

[@StarDArashi]

Beautiful video as always❣

[@MAjaLeahHB]

i was in this river park a few weeks ago and it's a really cool place to hang out and take a walk. i was really surprised by how many animals we saw. it is not even super green compared to other parks but the positive effects are huge

[@snowdayninja]

A lot of the visuals you show in this are actually from Songdo, which is 40km from Seoul in Incheon. Songdo is a beautiful urban green space that deserves its own video! Have lived here happily for nearly 5 years now.

[@LeafofLifeWorld]

I think the only visuals we show of Songdo is at the beginning when we mention the statistics of Seouls urban green space by showing other green spaces. The rest of the video is all the river restoration.

[@seokjin3000]

Songdo's development destroyed mudflats that were important stops for migratory birds. It was a big story at the time they were proposing it. I hope the birds able to enjoy some of the green space now there.

[@GobyTSB]

This is the best part about going to Seoul! I miss living here!

[@Michaelengelmann]

Every city needs to take notes. Especially places like NYC & LA.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

The river: Mr Park, I don't feel so good Park Chung-hee: now this is how we show South Korea's success! Seoul mayor in 2003: initiates a project to restore the river The river: You couldn't live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? *BACK TO ME* 0:51 this footage isn't in Seoul nor Incheon. This is the Port of Hong Kong around the Tsing Yi area. And the bridge is the Stonecutters Bridge.

[@katesisco]

Such a wonderful result from restoring nature!

[@timchikun]

i found this by accident when i visited seoul, was super cool spot to hangout

[@AnnaBell033]

The inflections she puts on some of the words is absolutely hilarious 😂 Great video though, very informative!

[@kerigrace5605]

OMG It is all so beautiful!! More cities need to do this all around the Globe!!

[@Politiksz2023]

Love your channel :) opening eyes For Climateers

[@bizzybee852]

This just goes to show, how one project can have multiple positive results. Everything has to have a beginning.

[@ako8357]

When talking about the success of projects like this, it's import to at least acknowledge what makes the move from highway to green space possible: improved mass transit. The proposal for the restoration of Cheonggyecheon included a bus rapid transit corridor intended to cut car use _in half_ - without that, the project would've simply shifted the burdens of traffic (air and noise pollution, etc) to somewhere else in the city. We _do_ need more restorations,. We also need a lot more mass transit if we want that restoration work to truly be successful.

[@RamzVizag]

'Seoul' you cleansed your 'soul' ! ❤️ from India🙏

[@toniheinonen1034]

That's so awesome! Makes me want to visit Seoul at some point ✌️

[@BLWard-ht3qw]

Wow, that was an impressive thought and action taken to restore that river system. The results looks stunning, though I'm really liking the space and layout with that shot at 1:36 too.

[@jlole9460]

I think that place is incheon not seoul because ive been there. xd

[@unbreakableldorado7723]

amazing transformation

[@scottmarlow6018]

People desire and need green space and we should be very vocal about this desire. Parks and green space also improve property values and over all well being. Concrete Jungles are depressing and make areas more prone to crime.

[@marcusmartinez7855]

WOW!!! What a great story and model for all cities, current and growing. Well done Seoul!

[@michaelstapelberg7751]

that is super beautiful!

[@humhaingyani]

This is the need of the hour... Governments around the world must focus on achieving this by imposing it. This is amazing 🤩 It will improve the quality of life on earth for all

[@paliaha706]

It's beautiful! Bravo to Seoul's city planners.

[@luigibenni3449]

Very beautiful and inspiring video!

[@pritamlahiri2623]

The best ever environmental project in the mega cities around the world ..

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

We only have the Taedong river, and unlike them, we've never built a highway over it because we know its importance. Yes Seoul has exploded, but it puts a smile on our face when we remind them that Pyongyang built its metro before they did. The US bombed our country to the ground on top of dropping pests that would kill our crops, and yet my grandpa still managed to rebuild AND we were richer than them until the 70s! The West can talk smack about us all they want, but at least here, citizens don't pay taxes and housing is completely free.

[@invaderjoshua6280]

I know why waste a perfect dead body disposal system like a river?! Where were the South Koreans flushing away their starving masses without it?

[@heart_beat_s354]

Taedong River is in North Korea. The river runs through NK's capital city. (Just putting it here, jic you're a reader like me, because I didn't know what OP was talking about.)

[@JohnCiaccio]

Seoul is the only big city I would ever live in. I won’t even go to a major city in the US. Visited Seoul in 2018 and fell in love with it.

[@Asiablue]

I lived there when this was done. A marvelous change that improved quality of life in every possible way!

[@abcdefghijklabcdefghijkl]

Great progress for 2005 yet for today ROK should expand the corridors on either side need to be expanded And other the building adjacent must be more environmentally friendly.

[@Sliverbane]

I wish this would happen in my city. The San Antonio river could use it!

[@kitch-guy]

Fun Fact: The water flowing Cheonggyecheon is tap water. Cheonggyecheon was a Stream that was created as a sewage system during the Joseon Dynasty, and just little water flowed. Currently, the water of Cheonggyecheon is pumped from Han River sewage treatment plant and Seoul city is paying water bills for it.

[@lilitharam44]

I wish more cities in the U.S. would learn from and follow this example, well done South Korea!

[@republicanmapping589]

Demolishing freeways and roads to make parks and even restore rivers is actually happening in other places too! Madrid also recently did that with the Madrid Río project. Didn't know about Seoul though, looks beautiful!

[@pablobeltran3028]

where i came from, everyone would say, " huwag na, sayang pera, andiyan na yan eh, pag tiyagaan na lang..." ("...leave it, it's a waste of money to renovate/remove, it's there already, let's just make do with it... which is, 100% pathetic)

[@Cyndogg085]

What a breath of fresh air in a place like that! Adds a feeling of peace.

[@koreanature]

Wow... !!! My best friend, Great... We liked and enjoyed to the end. Awesome... Full watched. Thanks Have a happy day!

[@MathieuDeVinois]

Wonderful project. Would wish for that in my town too.

[@michaelburns9172]

I spent 13 months in S Korea 1972 to 1973 a beautiful country and people. God Bless you all.

[@tamasgyorffy1]

Amazing!!!!

[@hjk2639]

Kudos to then-President Lee Myung Park who planned and fought for this. I was too young to understand the politics but even as a kid, i knew he was one of the most hated people in Korea. Dude pushed through and now his actions are hailed as heroic. Pretty cool place to visit + not sure if they still operate (haven't been to Korea since the wuhan virus came) but they have a home-made tofu place and that place is killer!

[@LJBKJO]

Get out of here, idolater President Lee Myung-bak went to jail for committing too much corruption get out of korea That's the best you can do for Korea

[@anthonymorales842]

thank you

[@deepwoodguy2]

the last time i was in Seoul it was 1966... quite a change since then... Bravo...👍👍

[@HK-dh9tb]

You should visit there one day just for shits and giggles. You won't recognize anything if the last time you went was 1966.

[@deepwoodguy2]

@@HK-dh9tb I live over 6,000 miles away..I was in the US Air Force when in Korea.. Beautiful country.. 👍

[@michaellim4165]

You should visit it again. You won't recognize the country, guaranteed.

[@onika22maraj]

why can't the world be this pretty

[@nathalykim1263]

highly recommend visiting Korea/Seoul to anyone who hasn't it isn't as hyped up about as Tokyo, NY or European cities, but it's really as good and it's cheaper (although it's not that cheap) idk wtf goes on with Koreans but they are so lively, the streets are PACKED even on a Monday evening, no one is ever at home bro, super surprising to me also, Seoul has beautiful mountains surrounding it, it has incredible Korean palaces and ancient temples right beside some high ass modern glass buildings, the contrast is crazy the han river is so freaking large, and those parks always have ppl hanging out, eating, exercising, listening to music, camping, it's really amazing do yourself a favor and put it on your travel list cuz it's so worth it

[@unka2007]

tokyo is cheaper, I guess except transportation fees and i dont think tokyo is hyped.

[@rachelmap100]

It's a very pleasant place to take a walk and a definite improvement over the eyesore that used to be there. I just wish I could walk my dog there, like I can in other Seoul parks. I can understand why it's a special case, though, since the water in Chonggyechon is kept clean with filters and treatment plants.

[@TheNicaragua1979]

Well done, something to learn. Humans can do good. 👏👏👏

[@kye_kaspian]

I lived in Korea only for one year but got so ill from the air quality and all the smokers that still to this day have health issues due to the cities pollution. I wish I lived closer to some place like this. I left the same year this was completed, sadly I never heard about his project till.. well, now. I was told that about 1/4 of foreigners that worked for the company I was with left before the end of the first year due to health issues. Keep up the restoration Seoul, I am very proud of you.

[@robertwhitten265]

Finished in two years? The project through 1 mile stretch of I90 in downtown Chicago has been going on for decades.

[@Tridhos]

I was in Madrid recently and there they took a major motorway which went through the centre of the city and put it underground. The land this released was made into a huge park for the benefit of everyone. Well done those who put people first and not cars etc.

[@pieteri.duplessis]

Great news. Congratulations to Seoul,

[@izami9963]

Having a greeny location around the cities will absolutely bring good benefit's to everyone, such as fresh air to breathe in, relaxing scenery's in times of stressful days and less pollution..

[@bubumic2971]

Such open minded leaders warm the soul !

[@b_uppy]

Needs a lot more street trees.

[@mfuson77]

Finally, a good news story! Love it!

[@gabak1292]

That is really impressive 👏 👌 😳

[@nhasirduck3500]

more countries need to do this with there big cities

[@AhJodie]

Wow. I like this.

[@ashwindas6814]

🌱🌱🌳❤

[@rodrigosouto9502]

Increadible

[@burtonschrader2]

Fantastic example of what can be done to reverse errors of the past. Thanks for your report.

[@thuringian1127]

What is this heavy joy I feel when hearing this?

[@paulngo8876]

Amazing, this is what ever city should look into. Love it.

[@oceanstaiga5928]

I used to walk along this everyday when living in Seoul. It’s such a blessing to escape the concrete jungle :)

[@ResidentGG]

Good job Korea! I would like to visit the place someday!

[@JulioMo]

Was not expecting to see a wonderful video like this. How reinvigorating!

[@CarolinaGirl-it5gl]

Excellent! I saw several videos about large cities getting rid of old elevated roads. I think it was Seattle and Boston. But not on this scale, good job.