In this Beyond Places podcast Dr. In Keun Lee shares the challenges overcame to restore Cheonggyecheon, a forgotten waterway in the centre of the Korean capital. Dr. Lee played a vital role in transforming Seoul to a world-class city.
The Cheonggyecheon runs east to west through the Seoul CBD. The stream was so polluted that it was covered with a road in the 1950s. To address traffic congestion, the government later built an elevated highway over the road.
Demolishing Seoul’s major east to west thoroughfare to revive the stream was a mammoth task that the Metropolitan Government accomplished in just over two years – from planning to opening. From the outset, the project was more than restoring the river but about revitalising the whole city. Find out in this episode how Seoul shifted infrastructure from being car-centric to focusing on people. We also talk about how Seoul developed TODs (transit-oriented developments) and how Korea heavily invests in R&D and technology to make its cities even smarter and more efficient.
Dr. In Keun Lee served the Seoul Metropolitan Government for 32 years, including as Assistant Mayor. He was involved in managing landmark projects including the planning and development of highways, subways, waterworks, and the prestigious Cheong Gye Cheon Restoration project. As a senior civil servant, he formulated strategic urban policy and plans, guiding the capital to become a more sustainable, human-oriented, and public transit city.
Dr. Lee served a three-year term as the Head of their Research Institute of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). LH is the largest public corporation in Korea specializing in land development and affordable housing. He focused research on planned new towns, housing welfare, smart city, and green building technologies. He is a visiting professor at the Seoul National University and has been a Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Architecture Policy since February 2016. The Commission deliberates major policies on the built environment in the Korean government.
He carried out engineering research at City University in London, awarding him a PhD degree in 1991. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, UK and a Senior Member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea.
*Thank you to Dr. in Keun Lee for generously providing the images. We credit him and owners of these photos.
*You can listen to the podcast on Spotify and Soundcloud:
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