Landscaping Large Scale: Seoul Replaces Freeway with Urban Stream

The story of Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon river provides a master class on landscaping large scale. It presents an exceptional look back through the history of the industrial revolution as well as a forward looking example of modern urban landscape design.

In 2003, Seoul demolished a freeway that ran through the center of the city and restored the river that ran under it, transforming it into a pedestrian-friendly promenade that has become the centerpiece of the city. The traffic capacity was successfully replaced with a mass transit system (a new Bus Rapid Transit integrated with existing subway network). The social vibrancy has increased many times over and the success of businesses along the promenade has increased as a result. You could say this project has met the Triple-Bottom-Line, the new measure of success going forward: People, Planet, Profit.

How did something so beautiful get covered by something so ugly? The steps that it took for the original river to be covered by a freeway were all logical in their time and happened over the course of centuries. In fact, it’s a story that has been closely repeated more or less in many cities around the world.

The big difference is most cities still have the freeway. Seoul’s example is quite literally a shining example for the rest of the world on how to successfully transform the design of their urban landscape from blight to a delight.

Abridged History of a City on a River

Step 1: Build City Around a River

From a primitive viewpoint, waterways offer many resources for a tribe of people looking to make a permanent home. Survival is simple when water and food is plentiful. An obvious point, and many cities around the world have been established on rivers because the river provides.

Step 2: Dredge and Dyke the River

Rivers in their natural state present flooding problems to domesticated humans who like to live in the flood plains. After all, most of the year it is productive to be near the river, rather than far from it.  The flood plain is flat, easy to build on, has natural irrigation for farming, the soils are nutrient rich, fresh water is always available, etc. You could say natural forces create this type of condition where humans build in places that flood.

During the wet season, flooding becomes a problem. Not enough to make people permanently move out but enough to be a major impediment to the success of the city. However, a relatively simple solution presents itself; dredge and/or dyke the river to increase it’s capacity. Now the river can be controlled and flooding prevented. Land adjacent the river is freed up for development. The city can breathe a sigh of relief.

Step 3: Use River to Carry Sewage

Controlling the river with dredging and diking is very successful. Land right up to the banks of the river is dependably dry and buildings spring up all along the river. Many people move in. It’s a very popular place to be. Popular in the sense that it is common, not that it’s the ideal, or even good, place to live.

Only, now that there are so many people, what do you do with all the sewage? It was fine when there were a relatively small number of people, spread out over the land. Dig a hole and bury it. Or have a guy cart it to the farms for use as fertilizer. However, with the growing success of the city, the crowded environment, those two solution become less desirable than a 3rd solution; dump the sewage into the river and let the water take it away. Left to their own devices, this is what people do. Generally, it takes the least effort and the costs are washed downstream where some other anonymous, perhaps unsuspecting, bloke has to deal with it. (This is arguably the policy of many industrial corporations today, sometimes literally, sometimes metaphorically speaking).

Step 4: Having Made the River into a Sewer, Cover the River

The above formula is a simple one, logical in it’s progression, and to some extent, very successful. A well controlled river providing clean water at it’s inlet and taking away sewage at it’s outlet has worked for many cities around the world for hundreds of years. I suppose the achievement is a triumph of human ingenuity and a sign of a progressive city in it’s day.

The success of the formula results in population growth. In Seoul’s case, the population grew from about 50,000 people to over 190,000 before problems started arising in the capacity of the river to carry sewage. The river was dredged deeper and diked higher which solved the problem for a while.

The long term result of this design is the river ceases to be a river. With enough population growth, it simply becomes an open sewer and there isn’t enough water to wash it away.

At this point, in Seoul’s case, there was little choice but to cover the cesspool of a river. A decision could have been made to create a separate dedicated sewer system and restore the river. However, it was the 1950′s with the country still recovering from years of war, the simpler, less expensive solution was to cover the river/cesspool.

Step 5: Develop the New Land Resulting from the Covered River

Covering the river has the side benefit of freeing up develop-able land right in the center of the city. Other cities have covered streams and rivers for this reason alone. My hometown, Seattle, is a prime example of a wetland city that has covered many small streams and wetlands in order to develop the land.

In the case of Seoul, trying to catch up to other industrial nations, the logical choice was to build a freeway over this land. The river originally bisected the city, so it made sense at the time to follow the example of modern western cities and turn it into a transportation route. Many cities have repeated this design: a freeway through the center of the city. It makes sense from a transportation stand point. It allows easy access from all locations of the city to other parts of the city and beyond. It seemed a great idea at the time with immediate rewards in productivity. What wasn’t recognized is the long term costs when combined with population growth.

Most Cities Stop Here: This is the Existing End Point for Many Cities Today

From 1977 to 2003, this was the state of Seoul. Like many cities around the world, Seoul was stuck at this stage of evolution. The auto being the preferred choice of transportation, end of discussion. The social, ecological, and economic costs of this design are high but remain unrecognized by most people. Most people have difficulty envisioning an alternative that doesn’t already exist.

The problem is, freeways are inhumane. They undeniably spread about their hidden costs when mixed with the urban environment . This widely ranges from noise and air pollution, congestion, blight, high individual transportation costs (car, insurance, gas, parking, maintenance, frustration), lack of pedestrian access and real physical danger, diminished business opportunity, and more. Yet at the same time, they are often perceived as indispensable by the general public.

For many people, the balance of choice tips in favor of the perceived necessity of auto transport vs. community social space. Transport by auto becomes more important than the urban blight created by the system. Community social space is viewed as “feel good” with no economic value when the truth is quite the opposite. As a result, many cities are stuck with this “popular” urban design: Freeway Bisecting the City. Popular in the sense that it is common, not that it is ideal or even good.

Notice that up until now, the steps that led us to cover a river with a freeway have all been a reasonable and logical progression of steps. The previous steps have, arguably led to a city increasing in vibrancy and certainly population.

However, now that population has grown into the millions for cities like Seoul, isn’t it now illogical to continue favoring a system which demonstrates its high costs to every inhabitant daily? Urban areas that feature the auto as the dominant deciding point for design – dependency on automobiles by design – isn’t it obsolete in light of the massive populations unthinkable when freeways were first implemented. There simply isn’t enough space to add more lanes in most modern cities. The land is too valuable. Are the costs to cities still relying on this design going to render them non-competitive with other cities who choose better alternatives such as Seoul?

Isn’t moving on to other forms of transportation the next logical step for our high density cities?

Moving Forward into a New Era of  Urban Design

Step 6: Realize Economic and Ecological Mistakes, Move Forward to Restore the River – the City’s Heart and Foundation

Many cities besides Seoul have accpeted the “pattern language” I have called: Freeway Bisecting the City. My hometown of Seattle is another example of covered wetlands and raised freeways. Interstate 5 runs right through the center of the city. Where is the lowest valued real estate? Usually right along the freeway.

The inspiring difference is: Seoul did not stop at Freeways. They have leapt forward into a new era for modern landscapes – Pedestrian Friendly Streets.

The people of Seoul realized, much like people in many other cities, that the freeway was a horrible thing for the vibrancy of the city center and  an obstacle to the way they want to live. The difference is, the people of Seoul were optimistic enough and confident enough to believe the automobile wasn’t the only way. They have the self-awareness of what gives them a greater quality of life and a belief they could successfully achieve their goal.

They also had the right leader step in at the opportune time.  A visionary leader, Lee Myung-bak, ran for mayor with the centerpiece of his campaign being a plan to demolish the freeway, replace it with mass transit, and restore the river. The portion of people supporting this plan was 79.1%. With popular support Lee Myung-bak was able to do what many cities around the world seem incapable of… place people above the automobile in the hierarchy of public space.

It is also interesting to note that Lee’s popularity skyrocketed after his success as Seoul’s mayor restoring the river. So much so that he  was nicknamed “Mr. Bulldozer” and with his popularity went on to become president of South Korea. A lesson for many a politician in our country who lack the will to set a vision for the future and doggedly follow it.

Step 7: Using Modern Landscape Design Best Practices and Knowledge, Turn Riverfront into a Social, Ecological, and Economic Resource

The decision to restore the river was a visionary step forward. It is important to distinguish that it is not a return to the past or a  step backward. The new design builds upon all the lessons of the past and incorporates some of the best ideas of today: Control of river capacity to regulate flooding, establish a separate sewage system, make it a social space and an ecological space, integrate the ecology with the need for human commerce in a way that each supports the other.

The promenade is a park for the city, art is displayed along its length, areas are designed for social events, festivals, and spontaneous socializing. The walk draws residents of the city as well as tourists. The area has become a great draw for all sorts of businesses. It is beneficial for businesses that cater to the foot traffic as well as more white collar businesses that use the amenity and distinction of the park to attract talented workers.

Summary

While not a perfectly sustainable design, the achievement of the modern Cheonggyecheon is remarkable nonetheless. The ability to overcome the stranglehold the auto industry has over the landscape design of most cities is almost unbelievable. It isn’t about removing the auto entirely. It’s about releasing the dominance of the auto over the cityscape according to our priorities as social creatures who need social spaces to live vibrantly.  Prioritize people above people in cars. It is certainly a milestone and an example for cities worldwide for how to enter the coming decades with a hopeful vision that truly fulfills our needs.

Cheonggyecheon in Pictures: What Was Once a Freeway

Please click on the pictures to view the various websites these photos came from and to read more viewpoints about this wonderful landscape.

Thank you to all the people and their websites hosting these pictures!