South Korea's busy capital has a brand new tourist attraction.
In some sense it's more like a successful transformation.
Instead being discarded, a disused overpass, has been given a new lease in life.
Our Hwang Hojun introduces to us the garden that's hanging in the sky.
December 13, 2015 was the day the Seoul Station Overpass was once and for all closed to car
traffic.
The overpass was built in 1970 to cope with a surging population and to alleviate traffic
jams, but in 2006, it failed to pass the annual safety inspection, getting a "D," and that
led to calls for it to be completely torn down.
But instead of getting rid of the overpass, Seoul decided to give it a drastic facelift.
For 45 years the Seoul Station overpass was a symbol of industrialization, with tens of
thousands of cars using it on a daily basis.
And after 18 months of construction, the road for cars is now a road for people.
It also has a new name: Seoullo 7017.
The name "Seoullo" translates to Seoul Street.
7017 references the road's birth and reincarnation -- built in 1970 and re-opened in 2017.
But the number 17 carries even more meanings than that.
The overpass is 17 meters off the ground, and connects to 17 different pedestrian roads,
which lead to many tourist attractions via walkways, elevators and escalators.
A variety of performances and exhibitions will also take place throughout the year.
"Seems like a botanic garden right in the middle of this concrete jungle.
So, I really like it....modern cities nowadays you get more and more cars, more and more
pollution, more and more traffic, less and less nature, less and less green, so reestablishing
this former automobile bridge into something actually people living here, enjoying the
quality of the city.
It’s amazing, truly amazing."
"I used to drive often on the Seoul Station Overpass.
So I was a bit worried when the city first decided to close it down for construction
because I thought it would worsen the congestion nearby.
But now that I'm actually here, on the opening day with my family, I'm personally quite glad
because it feels like the city is becoming more people-friendly, providing a place like
this for people to enjoy."
Also sporting the nickname "Sky Garden," the overpass was designed by a renowned Dutch
architect named Winy Maas,... who took first place in Seoul’s 2015 international design
competition.
Just like its nickname, the kilometer-long pedestrian park features more than 24,000
trees and plants of 228 species, most of which are arranged throughout the overpass in the
order of the Korean alphabet, Hangeul.
"We have cities where many people have different characters.
And that’s the same for our plant world....
So we really thought, that we would make,.. to show that explicitly to Korea and to make
this kind of library, where you could go and see what you want to have."
The project focuses on two long-term visions for the city,... which are to encourage urban
restoration and tourism on foot.
"If development in the past was about completely demolishing an old bit of infrastructure to
build something else on top of it, urban restoration is about keeping and making use of the structure,
thereby cutting down on waste and revitalizing the local economy as well.
Seoullo 7017 is both the starting point and the model for such efforts."
Seoul is known for its dynamic atmosphere, as seen in the coexistence of modern technology
and a long history.
With the reopening of Seoullo 7017, the Korean capital is now setting an example for how
an urban eyesore can be transformed into a beautiful oasis and an escape from the city.
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News