The birth of a greener, grander Seoul

September 30th marked the beginning of a new greener, more environmentally friendly Seoul. The mayor of Seoul promissed in 2002 that he would restore Chonggyecheon, a stream that used to run through Seoul but fell victim to the break-neck urbanization and industrialization. The stream that was once clean and housed all kinds of flora and fauna became an open sewage, a stinky source of desease and an embarassing witness to Korean carelessness regarding public property. The government found a quick solution to the problem, simply trapping the stream under tons of concrete and asphalt that served as a road. Eventually a large number of little shops and stores sprang along this road and an expressway was built above the road to ease the traffic congestion in Seoul.

As Seoul grew so did the Seoulites' realization that they need to make their city greener if they want it to be considered a great world-class center. The new mayor took it upon himself in 2002 to restore the stream. All of the small shops and stores along the stream trapped under the road had to be closed and many people lost their businesses. The project was very costly. The water from the Han river was used to create a whole new stream; a lot of expensive landscaping had to be done and 21 new bridges (each of a unique design) were built. In the past there were 86 bridges spanning this little stream. This area is redesigned as an oasis of green and peace in the midst of the urban jungle. I dare say that the restored stream runs through possibly ugliest parts of Seoul and that its banks are lined with decrepit smelly stores.

Debbie and I went for a walk there. I completely forgot about the opening ceremony that was to start yesterday and continue until October 3rd. When I got to the City Hall subway station, seeing all those people milling about, I realized what was going on. Heedless of rain, thousands came out to walk the length of the stream (6km, starting at City Hall and ending very close to Home Plus, Jaegi-dong area). We didn't want to cancel our walk, we just joined the crowds. And what crowds they were! I have to say that I really liked it: the water in the stream is the natural green colour, it smells fresh, the bridges are very interesting, the flora looks natural (complete with pumpkin vines creeping their way down the concrete banks), there are numerous stepping stones with white water gushing among them, creating the natural look... Today was very crowded, but hopefully when all the opening madness calms down it could be a nice place to go for a walk. I am glad to observe that Seoul is getting more serious about the way it looks. It takes more than modern highways and tall glass building to make a good city: green, not gray is what makes a city grand.