Ever since its inception in 2009, New York’s High Line has won critical acclaim—and a host of municipal imitators—for its innovative use of existing infrastructure to create a new public park. Washington, Philadelphia, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and London all have similar plans in the works, and now Seoul has been added to the growing list.
Earlier this month, Dutch architecture firm MVRDV announced that it had been commissioned to design Skygarden, a public park that will tower over the heart of the South Korean capital. Set on a section of abandoned elevated highway built in 1970 and closed in 2009, the park will feature more than 200 types of trees, shrubs, and flowers, as well as cafés, markets, and libraries along the half-mile, 55-foot-wide stretch of road.
