Cheong Gye Cheon restoration in Seoul, Korea

While much of Britain's canal and railway networks have been abandoned, the country has yet to start ripping up the roads that replaced them. But in Seoul, Korea, they have done just that. Last year saw the completion of a bold, community-driven scheme to demolish a 6 km long, 10-lane stretch of concrete highway in the middle of the city to bring the old Cheong Gye Cheon river underneath it back to life. It has created a much-needed green corridor in the post-industrial centre of one of the world's largest cities. This paper provides an overview of the £200 million project, which has become a new benchmark for urban regeneration.