2 years later, Seoullo 7017 holds little appeal for visitors

Seoullo 7017 / Korea Times file

Landmark landscaping project to create Seoul's own High Line falls short of ambitions

By Lee Suh-yoon

Even on the rare afternoons with good weather and blue skies, walking from one end to the other of Seoullo 7017 is rarely the therapeutic journey one might expect of an urban garden.

Seventeen meters above the ground and unsheltered, the sun and wind pounded mercilessly on passersby on Tuesday. On this old overpass-turned-skywalk, inspired by New York's famous High Line, the air felt stuffier than the shaded sidewalks below. Tourists and office workers from nearby buildings squeezed themselves into sparse patches of shade.

Entrance to Seoullo 7017 from Namdaemun / Korea Times file

More concrete than soil and vegetation, the skywalk offered little respite from urban heat and noise. Heat rose back up from where it was absorbed into the uncovered concrete. The plants ― confined in small concrete pots ― were too short or thinly spread out to offer proper shade.

Considering the record-breaking heat wave last summer and fine dust invasion in winter and spring, it's no surprise the walkway got grim reviews from local media and travel sites.

With temperatures climbing even faster than last year, Seoul City officials say they will be better prepared this time round, setting up mist sprays, fans and sun canopies between the plants. Small air-conditioned cafes dotted along the kilometer-long stretch will also be made available to the public.

"We hope many citizens will participate in the various events planned for the second anniversary of Seoullo 7017 and its diverse plants. Through meticulous management of the flora and the hosting of varying cultural events, we want to develop Seoullo into an urban garden and cultural landmark."

According to Seoul Metropolitan Government, 287 species of plants are on display at Seoullo 7017. Translated into Korean, Seoullo means both "toward Seoul" and "Seoul Road." The number 7017 tagged to the name represents the year the overpass was first built ― 1970 ― and the year it was remade into a skywalk ― 2017. The conversion ― led by Dutch architect Winy Maas ― cost around 60 billion won ($50 million). Being the centerpiece of Mayor Park Won-soon's vision for a pedestrian-friendly Seoul, the elevated walkway has been chosen to host various community events including walkathons and regular sign-up performances.

Seoullo 7017 from above / Korea Times file

A busking performance at Seoullo 7017 / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Though far from crowded, Seoullo 7017 is not unvisited. It provides an unbroken path above train tracks and crossings for those wishing to travel between Namdaemun and the neighborhoods of Malli-dong, Jungnim-dong and Cheongpa-dong on the other side of Seoul Station. The city claims around 16.7 million people have visited Seoullo since its opening in May 2017 ― an average of 20,000 visitors per day ― according to data extrapolated from its CCTV footage.

Still, many are disappointed by how the elevated garden falls short of providing the promised landmark.

"It's become a good example of what hastily done urban spaces look like ― born from the fad-like nostalgia for recycling, sentimentalism capitalizing on the positive image of green spaces, populist politics and spatial designs drawn up without discussion or consultation," Pae Jeong-hann, a landscape architecture professor at Seoul National University, lamented in a recent opinion piece for the local daily Hankyoreh.

Mayor Park is not the odd one out in his quest to create a famed landmark. His predecessors ― Lee Myung-bak and Oh Se-hoon ― are well-remembered for their own major landscape projects like Cheonggye Stream and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, albeit with a bit more PR success than Park.

He hasn't given up yet. The city says it plans to "regenerate" the nearby small alleys with tourist attractions around the flyover to make it a more attractive pedestrian hub.

But experts say future projects on Seoullo should be more wary of the impact on local businesses and industrial networks in the surrounding areas. Though the old highway was slated for demolition due to its old age, rebuilding it could have been a worthy option too as it was the main transport node between Malli-dong's small sewing factories and Dongdaemun's fashion market.

Now the main road across the street from where Seoullo curves downward into Malli-dong is lined with fancy bars serving wine and craft beer, punctuated by a lone car repair garage and a sewing factory that has somehow managed to keep its place.

"It used to be just car repair shops, hardware stores and gukbap (rice soup) joints here. They're gone now. The rent just about doubled with Seoullo," An Hyun-kyu, a local real estate agent, said in an interview. "The young owners at the new bars here say most of their customers come from the office buildings on the other side of the walkway for drinks after lunch or dinner."