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[Free Report] Eco-friendly features of Seoul |
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by Seyi Jang | 11-11-2021 14:13
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According to the latest Arccadis sustainable city index, South Korea ranked the second most sustainable city in Asia after Singapore and 7th in the world. It is indeed an amazing accomplishment as the city was no more than a war-torn wasteland due to the devastating Korean War 70 years ago. Today, I want to introduce some of the eco-friendly features of Seoul that makes the city more sustainable.
1. Green Belt As the population density of Seoul is one of the highest in the world, the capital lacked green space where the citizens could relax. Instead, it was filled with high skyscrapers and hectic people. The government introduced Green Belt in 1971. If the land is chosen as part of the green belt, the government restricts the indiscreet development and leave it as a green space where people can enjoy. Currently, covering 13.3% of the Seoul metropolitan area, the green belt has many positive effects on the sustainability of the country, in both health and environmental sector. Cheonggyecheon, a stream flowing west to east in the heart of Seoul, was on the line back in the 1990s. The professionals warned that the road over the stream can collapse sooner or later due to the methane gas piling up beneath the road. In 2002, the government decided to disrupt the road and build a space where citizens can relax. Although there were some controversies while constructing the site, the significance that the Cheonggyecheon urban renewal brought to the country was huge. Cheonggyecheon became a new tourist spot for both foreigners and Koreans, visited by 190 million people between 2005 and 2015. As the river revived, different kinds of animal species(bird, fish, insect etc.) appeared in the heart of the country. The stream also helped to cool down the temperature by 3.6˚ on nearby areas, contrast to other areas of Seoul. Beside these features, the city mainly used technology to solve the waste or transportation problem. (If you want to know more about the Seoul waste management, I recommend reading my previous article on waste management) There is still a long way to go since Seoul is still suffering from pollution. I hope more people in Seoul pay attention and take action to make the city more sustainable. https://thinksustainabilityblog.com/2018/02/28/sustainable-cities-seoul-south-korea/ https://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/how-seoul-korea-transforming-smart-city |
 
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2 Comments
Hello Seyi, this is your mentor Hannah.
Your articles are always welcoming because other Tunza ambassadors can get to know about Korea's environmental situations as well.
Actually, those two features implemented in Seoul were politically issued.
If those projects have good results in environment, such as increase of animal species and clean air, it would be perfect. But the other part is that those projects take a lot of money, and it might not end well.
Thank you for your great article and please keep up with your wonderful work :)
Sincerly,
Hannah
Posted 02-12-2021 22:37
Hello Seyi, this is your mentor Joon.
Seoul is the most urbanized region of South Korea, which in other words, lack in environment wise compared to other regions. To prevent further progression, different governmental policies were made. Green Belt, which does not allow developments unless the government allows it is one measure. There are pros and cons for it, but recently there were movements to allow greenbelt's development. We should think carefully about such issue. However, I really enjoy Cheonggyechon and visit quite often. Hope our city pursue more eco-friendly policies!
Well read your article.
Best,
Joon
Posted 15-11-2021 17:42