Seoul's Hyde Park

Formerly the site of a water treatment plant, a horse race track, and a golf course, the municipal government spent over $200 million to convert the site into a multi-use park/forest.  Located in south-east Seoul on the north shore of the Han River, it occupies 116 Hectares / 290 Acres.  Opened in June, 2005, its renaissance is clearly an expression of Seoul’s design and sustainability movement.  There are few cities in the world today willing to devote this amount of money and land for urban parkland.  It’s five faces - cultural art park, forest filled with wildlife, educational ecology centre, natural wetland, and riverside park - have been well received by citizens who, living in a very high density environment, treasure open green space especially one that is devoted to culture, design, nature, and recreation.