212 Growing Awareness — How green consciousness can change

perceptions and places

15
The Cheonggyecheon
river restoration—
From highway to greenway

Dr Gyeng Chul Kim

Learning from action — The Cheongyecheon river restoration — 213
From highway to greenway

The Cheonggyecheon River Restoration Project came about because of

transport issues that required a response to problems with transit and with
public space reform.1 The root of the project dates back to the Korean War,
which over three years (1950–53) led to the total destruction of Korea’s
infrastructure. By 1954, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the
world. As refugees from North Korea fled south to Seoul, a shortage of
homes led to unregulated development in shanty towns along the banks of
the Cheonggyecheon River, with waste discharged directly into the river
that became more and more polluted.
The South Korean Government responded to this housing need and,
from 1969 on, began to provide high-rise apartments for the population
that resulted in an additional two million people moving to Seoul in less
than five years. This caused severe infrastructure demands on transport,
water supply, education and health. In the early 1960s, buses were the
main mode of travel but by the late 1960s and the 1970s, as Seoul’s popu-
lation continued to grow, the public transportation system could no longer
cope, with demand leading to increasing car ownership. In response, the
government built urban expressways. There are now over 4,000 kilometres
of these routes (800% more road than in the 1970s). This has benefits:
Koreans from anywhere in the country can access the expressway network
within 30 minutes and it is one of the best mobility networks in the world.
The network was seen as a major advance in engineering and development.
As the network of expressways developed, so car use increased. In
the 1970s, there were 60,000 registered vehicles in Seoul but by 2010
there were nearly 3 million – nearly 50 times the number of cars over a
40-year period. Road construction could not keep pace with traffic growth
and by the 1990s, gridlock was common in downtown Seoul from 7am
to 11pm. This gradually spread to the wider urban areas and, as a result,
everywhere was becoming congested.
Seoul sits in a natural bowl surrounded by mountains. By the 1990s,
it was becoming clear that traffic congestion was having a negative impact
on the city’s environment and the health and wellbeing of its citizens. Air
pollution was high, cancers were increasing, energy consumption was
increasing and there were more road accidents, culminating in a general
loss of liveability. Seoul was no longer a comfortable place to live.
A change in approach by the metropolitan government was needed
to deal with traffic congestion and improve the quality of urban living for
Seoulites. Change came in the mayoral elections of 2002 and the election
of Mr Lee Myung-Bak, who persuaded the Metropolitan Government to
think differently about the transport and environmental issues facing the
city. This resulted in a change in urban policy from a focus on cars to a
focus on people and nature and opened up the possibility of urban space
214 Growing Awareness —
reform alongside transport reform. The policy objectives
were to reduce the number and space available for
private cars; to remove illegal parking; to improve safety
for pedestrians by increasing the number of pedestrian
crossings; and to develop and encourage the use of
public transit facilities.
The first urban space project was completed in
2004 in front of Seoul City Hall. It was designed to
restrain traffic flow by reducing the number of cars
using the junction, thereby winning space to create a
major, new green space that has also greatly improved
pedestrian movement. Further schemes reduced the
space available to cars by converting two-way streets
into one-way streets and expanding the pedestrian
pavement, including the now well-known Gangnam
Street (as in ‘Gangnam style’). The reduction in space
for cars has been matched by provision of high-quality
public transport, including transfer terminals from
downtown to suburban areas. This has included install-
ation of well-designed, privately funded street furniture.
This investment in public transport has had
significant benefits. Dedicated bus lanes are effective
and efficient, carrying six times as many people as
car lanes. With fewer private cars on the road, travel
speeds have increased for buses (and for cars) from a
typical average of 10 kilometres/hour to 20 kilometres/
hour. Thus a 5-kilometre journey that used to take two
hours on a Friday afternoon can now be achieved in
How green consciousness can change
perceptions and places
—1
Seoul sits in a natural bowl surround-
ed by mountains: increased traffic
congestion had a negative effect on
the environment and the health and
wellbeing of citizens, with high air
pollution, increasing cancers, energy
consumption and road deaths.
less than 15 minutes. This demonstrates that high-
quality public transportation benefits all road users.
These early schemes proved successful and provided
the foundation for a much bolder proposition – the
restoration of the Cheonggyecheon waterway.
The Cheonggyecheon watercourse was devel-
oped into a stream with fourteen tributaries by King
Taejong in 1412. This river system lay at the heart of
Seoul and the surrounding district was rapidly urbanised
after the Korean War. The watercourse became the
default sewer and from 1958 was covered over, in
common with urban watercourses in many countries.
Between 1967 and 1976, some 5.84 kilometres of
the Cheonggyecheon was covered by the elevated
Cheonggye highway, allowing 125,000 vehicles per
day to reach the city’s downtown area. At the time, the
elevated route was seen as a symbol of modernity and
mobility and a sign of Korea’s economic growth as it
emerged from post war blight to economic prosperity.
However, by 1991, concern was mounting about
the costs associated with maintaining the road network.
A study by the Korean Society of Civil Engineering ident-
ified serious corrosion of the steel beams in the piers
and plates of the elevated highways. With a three-year
shutdown to carry out repairs and a bill of 100 billion
Korean won (about £60 million), other options had to
be considered. At the same time, safety concerns about
the highway and growing environmental lobbying was
Learning from action — The Cheongyecheon river restoration — 215
From highway to greenway

—1
216 Growing Awareness — How green consciousness can change
perceptions and places

—2

—3

—2
Following the introduction of the Bus
Rapid Transit system to Seoul, average
bus speed increased by 100% and
capacity by 600%.
—3
Traffic congestion in downtown Seoul
– a 50-fold increase in traffic between
the 1970s and the 2000s.
—4
The transformation of City Hall Plaza:
the first public space project of Mayor
Lee Myung-Bak.
Learning from action — The Cheongyecheon river restoration — 217
From highway to greenway

building a ground swell for change. The Metropolitan

Government provided a new metro system in the
Cheong area to help address demand. Meanwhile,
research by a local study group was delivered in 2000
—4 to Mayor Lee Myung-Bak arguing for the restoration
of the Cheonggyecheon watercourse. Once elected,
Mayor Lee set about the task to: “take away the grey
concrete and make the new Seoul into a delightful
place.” This became his catchphrase. He wanted to see
“the stream flow into the downtown” instead of a line
of traffic. His vision was clear: remove 5.4 kilometres of
elevated motorway and replace it with a ‘water park’ of
new urban green/blue space.
Following a period of detailed research and impact
studies, dismantling began in July 2003 and continued
until December 2004. All the iron and steel from the
elevated highway was recycled, along with 95% of the
concrete and asphalt (around 872,400 tons).
The old highway was replaced by two-lane
streets on either side of the river together with 22
new bridges, of which 7 are for pedestrians. A new
combined sewer system was also constructed,
designed to accommodate three times the volume of
waste water and to cope with 200-year flood volumes.
Work on the water restoration and landscaping
began in September 2003 and was completed in
September 2005. The river has a flow of nearly 809
cubic metres of water per day through the new water
system. Planted terraces and walkways provide
access to the water.
This feat of engineering and physical renewal
was paralleled by an even bigger social achievement to
build consensus for the project, to reconnect Seoulites
to the history of the city and to build on its cultural and
environmental heritage.
Initially, traffic engineers argued that the project
could not work and would result in traffic chaos. The
city’s high earners, who never used public transport, did
not favour the project and preferred the convenience of
their cars. Property owners were also resistant as they
feared loss of rental income for the period of the works.
Some merchants and street vendors also complained,
218 Growing Awareness — How green consciousness can change
perceptions and places

—5 —6
Learning from action — The Cheongyecheon river restoration — 219
From highway to greenway

—5 fearing relocation out of the area. Environmental non-governmental organ-

The culverting of the Cheonggye-
cheon water course from the 1960s
to the 1990s.
—6
Reclamation design of the Cheong-
gyecheon water course.
—7
The radical improvement to the urban
heat island brought about through the
Cheonggyecheon project.
—7
isations (NGOs) were also concerned that the project would deliver only
a semi-natural river restoration solution. There were public hearings and
several mass demonstrations against the project as late as November 2003.
In all, local government staff held 4,200 meetings with stakeholders to win
over doubters and objectors. Conflict resolution included making available
an old football stadium for the street vendors to move to.
With a focus on building consensus but meeting future needs, the
government engaged with young people. Children in local primary schools
were asked about what their dream was for their future. The ideas and
drawings were collected and made into a wall of images known as the
‘hope wall’. This had an impact on their families and older people and was
influential in showing decision-makers the scale of change they desired.
As the demolition got underway the process was documented so that
everyone could see what was happening. More than 10,000 people were
invited to jog along the highway as it was closed to traffic on 1st July 2003.
Then the deconstruction got underway and by June 2005 the water began
to flow again in the Cheonggyecheon.
The river is now a source of delight and pride for Seoul’s citizens. It is
very beautiful by day and night and accessible to all age groups. The hopes
of the local primary school children were made permanent in 2005 in a wall
of tiles, the Hope Wall, which records that ‘Seoul is alive again’: a fitting
legacy of their dreams.
Nature has returned to the city with clean water in the system. Fish
species have increased from 3 to 15 and insect species from 15 to 84.
With these have come increasing numbers of birds. Over 34 species have
been recorded including herons, cranes and kingfishers.
The project has also achieved its transport aims. Traffic flow has
reduced by 18.6% and public transport patronage has increased by nearly
10% on both the buses and the metro. This has led to environmental gains
with reduced air pollution and noise levels. The water corridor has created
a cool air mass, increasing the local ambient wind speed by up to 50%.
That, together with the vegetation, is having a cooling effect, reducing
peak daytime temperatures by as much as 3.6° centigrade compared with
neighbouring city districts. Environmental benefits are valued at 390 billion
Korean won (about £234 million) annually.
220 Growing Awareness — How green consciousness can change
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—8

—9
Learning from action — The Cheongyecheon river restoration — 221
From highway to greenway

—8 — 10
The completed scheme showing
some of the paved spaces adjacent
to the water.
—9
The completed scheme showing
some of the green spaces adjacent
to the water.
— 10
In some areas the landscape along
the watercourse has a semi-natural
character with many habitat qualities.
— 11
Some of the paved spaces at night.
— 12
(Overleaf) A river reborn.

— 11
222 Growing Awareness — How green consciousness can change — 12
perceptions and places
Learning from action — The Cheongyecheon river restoration — 223
From highway to greenway

Learning from the Cheonggyecheon
Firstly, there needs to be strong leadership, someone
with authority to take decisions and champion the
programme. In Mayor Lee and the Hannara political
party, Seoul had leadership with the track record and
the power of persuasion to deliver the project. Known
as the ‘bulldozer’, he was a demanding boss who
pushed himself and those working under him to get the
job done. The Mayor’s staff put in place a team with the
expertise to develop strategies to review, develop and
‘sell’ the project.
Secondly, there needs to be a long-term vision
with well-articulated goals supported by a very clear
action programme. For Seoul, the vision was about
creating the ‘World’s Best Human City’ with a goal to
underpin the competitiveness of the country. The action
programme was intended to bring about a step change
in transport policy and delivery, leading to social and
environmental changes and citizen benefits. Progress
was measured against annual targets, including the
achievement of 75% of all journeys by public transport
to underpin long-term aims such as an ‘enjoy more time
for life’ target.
Thirdly, there are always obstacles to overcome.
This can take the form of external resistance or internal
opposition, which can be very difficult. Resources
need to be won; this might include getting more staff
resources or winning arguments to reallocate budgets.
There needs to be consensus-building so that doubt-
ers, especially internal doubters, can be won over if big
projects are to be achieved. Both communications and
marketing were key to raising awareness and support.
They and need to be adequately resourced and
planned from the outset.
Fourthly, this project has demonstrated that
building roads to improve the competitiveness of cities
is a redundant paradigm. Instead, it has shown that
removing major roads and delivering effective public
transport measures can revitalise a city, establishing a
new paradigm.
Fifthly, and perhaps most importantly, there is
a need to focus efforts on delivering the dreams of
younger generations. The Cheonggyecheon Restor-
ation Project took two years and three months to
deliver on site. It cost 390 billion Korean won (about
£234 million) to deliver, three times the repair budget.
However, land values have increased by at least 30%,
much more in some areas, and commercial rentals
have also increased by 5%. Overall, the future direct
economic effect on Seoul is valued at up to 22 trillion
Korean won. The project has resolved traffic issues and
gone a long way to alleviating heat island effects, while
the natural environment and ecology of the district has
been recovered. The area has become a major tourist
attraction, helping to revitalise the Cheonggyecheon
Business District so that, once again, it has become the
centre of Seoul.2
As for the future, there is now a desire for
‘sky-opening’ initiatives and new green ways and
greenspaces are appearing across the city. The city is
becoming walkable. The long-cherished desire to make
Seoul alive again is being achieved. People want to live
by, work near to and visit transformational green spaces.

The project was carried out by the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI), which is a national think tank
funded by the government and reporting to the Office of the Prime Minister. KOTI has a workforce
of 300 highly-qualified staff and works with land, infrastructure and transport in support of govern-
ment policy with three main functions: research and policy around transport (highways, railways
and aviation) and logistics; developing transport strategies and future technologies to create
growth; and managing a global knowledge exchange programme.
2

Further information on the project can be found in: Kee Yeon Hwang, Kyounga Park, ‘Cheonggye-
cheon Restoration Project – Building a Human-oriented Greenway in Seoul’ (Seoul: The Korea
Transport Institute (KOTI), 2011), ISBN 978-89-5503-484-4.