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  • Paris has got la Promenade Plantee. New York Citythe High Line Park. Andnow Seoul

  • may have its own version of an old industrial infrastructureturnedpedestrian friendly

  • gardens in the sky. It’s not an especially new conceptbut

  • it’s one that’s proven hugely effective at revitalizing neighborhoods... which is

  • why Seoulalong with cities like London and Houston are jumping in this trend of building

  • a Greenway from an oldelevated road. Greenway in the Seoul skyour News Feature

  • tonight with Lee Sooeun. ″Clocks have just struck midnight and the

  • Seoul Station overpass is now shut cars can no longer use the road.

  • After 45 years in usethe overpass will gradually be transformed into a park for pedestrians.″

  • Since its construction in 1970, the 9-hundred 14 meter long overpass in front of Seoul Station

  • has been a shortcut connecting four districts in central Seoul.

  • But in 2006, the Seoul Station flyover received a failing grade of ′D′ on a safety test

  • prompting the Seoul Metropolitan Government to decide it would be best to demolish the

  • road for the sake of safety and urban aesthetics. Then earlier this year in Maythe city

  • announced it will scrap demolition plans and instead remodel the road under the code name

  • Seoul Station 7017 Project″. The 17 meter high flyover which had served

  • the city′s residents since 1970, will be transformed into a zone exclusive for pedestrians

  • with 17 adjacent walkways... by 2017.

  • If the city remodels the motorwayinstead of demolishing itit will allow people

  • to move aroundand perhaps turn it into an urban attraction. Recycling the structure

  • is also more costeffective than building a new one.″

  • New York City′s High Line Park is one instance of reusing an old urban structure.

  • Once an abandoned railwayit was reborn into a park with flowerstreesand benches.

  • The urban regeneration project worked to prevent the city′s deterioration.

  • There isn′t much green space near Seoul Stationso we thought that if the overpass

  • was converted into a parkpeople could enjoy it as a central urban attraction.″

  • The city offered residents a chance to experience what the new green space would actually look

  • and feel like by creating a temporary park on the road last May.

  • It′d be great if a park was made since the flyover failed the safety test anyways.

  • The city would look much better.″

  • Taxis need to move quickly. If we have to take a detour instead of the overpass

  • then obviouslyit′s not good for us taxi drivers.

  • Another group of stakeholders not so happy with the project are those working at Namdaemun

  • Market who have long used the motorway as an essential part of their lives... coming

  • to work and making deliveries on this road.

  • Merchants need convenient traffic and distribution. Were against making a park on the Seoul

  • Station flyover if no alternative road is to be built.″

  • As opponents of the project predictedroads

  • we

Paris has got la Promenade Plantee. New York Citythe High Line Park. Andnow Seoul

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