Initial reaction to the park was mixed – but worries
about traffic problems were addressed by extensive
rerouting schemes, dedicated
bus lanes and improvements
to public transport.
When it became clear the
revitalisation project had
improved air pollution, had a
genuine cooling effect on the
CBD in summer, and boosted
biodiversity, everyone was
won over.
“Cheonggyecheon is one of our biggest success
stories. We realised the city did have a lot of concrete
and the time had come to revitalise it,”says Maureen
O’Crowley, executive director of tourism and MICE
division, Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB).
However, just as important as the Stream’s aesthetic
JUNE (^2016) businesstraveller.asia
beauty is the fact that it has been a catalyst for economic
development in the CBD. Construction of high-rise
buildings is forging ahead in the blocks flanking the
western section of the Stream – and many of the office
workers who fill these buildings like nothing better
than to take their lunch down to the Stream and relax
for a while, watching and listening to the babbling
water as it flows eastwards – Koreans have an innate
love and respect for nature, and Cheonggyecheon
offers precious respite from city stress.
A WALK ON THE GENTLE SIDE
I decide to trace the Stream’s first four kilometres as
far as Dongdaemun, with occasional forays north and
south into the surrounding districts (the Stream itself
continues on for the same distance after Dongdaemun,
curving round to the south and eventually flowing back
into the Han River).
As important as the
Stream’s aesthetic beauty
is the fact that it has been
a catalyst for economic
development in the CBD
44 ISpotlight on...Seoul