City-Level Decoupling-Case Studies

The Cheonggyecheon after restoration (Source: Volker Lee (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/12155043))

discuss issues relating to the Cheonggyecheonand recommend solutions. 332 The public now have access to valuable educational resources through their renewed contact with nature, restored historical sites, and the Cheonggyecheon Museum. 333 Ecological sustainability has also improved. Fossil fuel use has been reduced by removing about 170,000 cars from the artery each day, improving public transport, and creating pleasant pedestrian routes to encourage walking. 334 This has also led to reduced air and noise pollution in the city. 335 Specifically, small-particle air pollution in the area has fallen from 74 to 48 mcg per m³. 336 High city temperatures have decreased by up to 5˚C due to reduced traffic, the proximity of cool water, and a 50% increase in average wind speeds following the removal of the highway. 337 The restoration has re-established lost habitats, and as a result the number of fish species has increased from 4 to 25, bird species from 6 to 36, and insect species from 15 to 192. 338 The river has also helped to improve Seoul’s resilience to climate change as the open river is better able to cope with flooding than buried sewers. 339 Economic benefits can be seen in an increase in the number of businesses and employment density within 1.2 km of the Cheonggyecheon corridor. 340 Property prices have also increased at double the rates found elsewhere in the city. 341 Single-family residential units are now more likely to convert to high-rise residential, commercial-retail, and mixed units. 342

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