Seóul, South Korea

Urban Renewal and Green Policies

The majority of the city's air pollution comes from the exhaust of buses and trucks; converting many public buses to natural gas has helped with this issue, though there continues to be a problem in the early 21st century with air pollution blowing in from China. In October 2005, the first segment of a massive 25-neighborhood urban renewal project was opened: the Cheonggye Stream Project, which restored a paved-over streambed and lined it with walking paths. The project was criticized for worsening traffic and demolishing the beloved Cheonggye Market neighborhood, but it was intended to provide better access to many of Seóul's green-space parks and to moderate the city's radiant heat.

In 2010, South Korea announced its commitment to climate friendliness and energy efficiency by designating Seóul its first Climate Friendly City or Green Growth City, according to a Master Plan For Low Carbon Green Growth, which sets out a number of goals for the subsequent 20 years. In that time, greenhouse gases will be reduced by 40 [Page 793]percent and new or renewable energy supply will be increased by 20 percent. One million new green jobs will be created by promoting a number of green technologies appropriate for Seóul, notably the hydrogen fuel cell. The master plan is aggressive and ambitious, and it is meant to constitute a new paradigm in urban planning and environmental policy. It calls for the redesign not only of buildings, the urban area, and transportation systems but also for a “human-oriented city,” with many more green jobs and higher salaries. A total of $45 billion is expected to be invested.

Because only a fraction of Seóul's energy is generated in the city—less than half of 1 percent—part of the master plan involves new energy sources generated in the city itself, including solar power and hydrogen fuel cells. Energy efficiency is also a major concern, and 10,000 buildings larger than 2,000 square meters are intended to be converted into green buildings (as will all new construction). All public transportation will be made green, and the plan calls for a goal of increasing the ridership rate to 70 percent, presumably by adding bus lines and reducing fares. Bike ridership should be increased to 10 percent through the creation of bike-only lanes along all major roads. The redesign of the city will take into account climate impacts like heat waves, diseases, and water shortages and will design the waste management systems accordingly. Shortly after the master plan was announced, South Korea further announced an intention to build 14 new nuclear reactors by 2024 in order to cut its dependence on fossil fuels and increase nuclear power's contribution to the nation's electricity to nearly 50 percent, with a major reduction in imports.

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