Seoul, Korea has the goal of becoming a pedestrian-friendly city, where the entire city will eventually be connected with green forest paths. As part of this plan, it recently completed the conversion of the Sejong-daero highway from a heavily trafficked 12-lane road to only 9 lanes with a Pedestrian Forest Path.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) states that the construction of the Pedestrian Forest Path has not led to traffic congestion, and traffic speeds have remained the same as before the construction. The SMG is currently monitoring the real-time traffic conditions of commuting hours on the Sejong-daero section and has plans to adjust the operation of traffic lights – if need be – to avoid congestion. It has also created new detours and changed some traffic regulations in the area to ease traffic commutes.
To promote the completion of the Pedestrian Forest Path, the SMG is hosting spring walks – along with hybrid meeting arrangements, including contactless events such as an online walk and a photo zone tour.
Seoul also has plans to create modular and movable parks in the city to improve the landscape and help reduce particulate matter. This modular park project will create small spaces in empty lots, paved areas, etc.by assembling multiple mobile planters and park furniture. This year, the SMG selected eight locations where there is a lack of green area and shade – such as a square in front of a subway station and empty spaces around residential areas. There are plans to plant more shade trees and introduce 1-person benches to aid in social distancing benches. The completed moving parks can be temporarily relocated using a crane or a forklift when there are events to be held.