Wikipedia defines an urban park as a:
…municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens (United Kingdom), is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality… [c]ommon features of municipal parks include playgrounds, gardens, hiking, running and fitness trails or paths, bridle paths, sports field and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps and/or picnic facilities, depending on the budget and natural features available.
In South Korea, Hyunjoon Yoo Architects have proposed a large urban park in the heart of Seoul. Numerous proposals have been submitted to the city, and theirs is one of six that will be combined as one whole. The site has been used extensively in the past for military purposes, with the US finally having moved out over the past decade. The land now has the opportunity to be reclaimed for the people of the city.
60% of the total area of the park will be ‘de-humanized’; that is, the land will purely be for animals and vegetation only. The other 40% is set for access and viewing, with the hope that this park will become a major tourist attraction for locals and international visitors alike. A moat will prevent wildlife from escaping into downtown Seoul. The only access into the site will be through an underground tunnel, into an Exhibition Hall, which shall be used for ‘displaying all the process of the naturalization’.
Below is an overhead of the future park:
The process of the transformation can be viewed below:
If you ask my opinion, the above pictures look like they have been created on some sort of simulation game - but regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing how this projects turns out. Hopefully I am still around in 2060 to see the results!
For more information and pictures on this proposal, click here.
