They Tore Down a Highway and Made it a River (and traffic got better)

Made by humans for humans. No generative AI or AI voices were used in the making of this video. Visit https://80000hours.org/notjustbikes for free advice and information about finding a career with a positive impact on the world. Watch this video ad-free and sponsor-free on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-they-tore-down-a-highway-and-made-it-a-river Patreon: https://patreon.com/notjustbikes Mastodon: @[email protected] NJB Live (my live-streaming channel): https://youtube.com/@njblive --- Relevant videos More Lanes are (Still) a Bad Thing https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-more-lanes-are-still-a-bad-thing https://youtu.be/CHZwOAIect4 --- References & Further Reading https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/20d568c1-f55a-5c0f-9d43-4bb7b89dcf4f https://seoulsolution.kr/sites/default/files/policy/%5BEN%5DCheong%20Gye%20Cheon%20Restoration%20Project.pdf https://vimeo.com/232410052 https://globaldesigningcities.org/publication/global-street-design-guide/streets/special-conditions/elevated-structure-removal/case-study-cheonggyecheon-seoul-korea/ https://issuu.com/ann1224/docs/cheonggyecheon_restoration-_ank https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EC%B2%AD%EA%B3%84%EC%B2%9C https://www.seoulsolution.kr/sites/default/files/policy/%5BEN%5DCheong%20Gye%20Cheon%20Restoration%20Project.pdf https://www.si.re.kr/sites/default/files/2006-R-34_0.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967070X12000108 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/17/seoul-cheonggyecheon-motorway-turned-into-a-stream https://thebentway.ca/stories/cheonggyecheon-rip-it-up-and-start-again/ 청계천, 과거와 현재를 기억하다ㅣKUTV 수습다큐 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2fUAp2cNvY All that remains of Jonchigyogak, the Cheonggye Expressway Overpass on the Cheonggyecheon Stream The Seoul Guide https://youtu.be/eSUX57eZmms Seoul’s Viewpoint: Seoullo 7017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrLQfxeuQfI Historical photos of Cheonggyecheon 朴昌根：《解读汉江奇迹》 同济大学出版社 ISBN：978 756 084 7979, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53245569 By 대한민국 국가기록원 - https://www.archives.go.kr/next/search/searchTotalUp.do?selectSearch=1&upside_query=%EC%B2%AD%EA%B3%84%EC%B2%9C+%EA%B3%A0%EA%B0%80%EB%8F%84%EB%A1%9C#none, KOGL Type 1, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115743685 Seoul Museum of History https://museum.seoul.go.kr/archive/NR_index.do Historical Newsreels https://www.ehistory.go.kr http://www.koreaphotonews.co.kr The number of references far exceeds the maximum length that YouTube allows in descriptions, but you can access the full list of references on Nebula or at this link: https://notjustbikes.com/references/cheonggyecheon.txt The vast majority of the content in this video was filmed on location by Not Just Bikes, with some stock footage licensed from Getty Images --- Chapters 0:00 Intro 4:03 Cheonggyecheon history 5:19 Gwanghwamun square 6:18 Cheonggyecheon stream 8:40 Safety & flood prevention 9:27 Accessibility 10:17 Urban places are better with fewer cars 11:55 Seoullo 7017 16:52 Urban highways need to be removed 17:53 Public transit connectivity 18:37 These projects didn't need to be this nice 19:16 Concluding thoughts 20:27 Outro & 80,000 Hours