[Future of Parks ④] Former Undesirable Facilities Become Landmark Parks in Seoul

Per Capita Park Area Falls Short of Global Competitors Like New York and London
Repurposing Decommissioned Power Plants and Water Facilities as Urban Green Spaces

'Culture Tank', 'Seoseoul Lake Park', and 'Mapo Saebit Cultural Forest'. These places are frequently mentioned when discussing parks in the western area of Seoul. Their unique content offers experiences different from other parks, which keeps citizens visiting throughout the weekends.

Panoramic view of 'Mapo Saebit Cultural Forest' created on the site of the former Danginri Power Plant in Mapo-gu, Seoul. The old power plant building is scheduled to be remodeled and transformed into a cultural space. Courtesy of Mapo District Office

These parks share a common trait—they were once referred to as undesirable or avoidance facilities before being transformed into their current states. Previously neglected spaces that had lost their original functions during Seoul’s urban growth have been reborn as public leisure areas with stories to tell.

In Seoul, which covers approximately 605 square kilometers, parks account for about 25–27% of the area. According to Seoul Open Data Plaza statistics released on August 25, the park area per citizen is 18.04 square meters as of 2024. This is less than London (31 square meters) but similar to other major competitor cities such as New York (18 square meters) and Paris (18 square meters).

However, if we exclude national and natural park areas on the outskirts of Seoul, the urban park area falls to just 12.4 square meters per person. Due to the city structure, where mountains surround Seoul’s edges, the actual experience of parks by citizens diverges considerably from statistics.

This means that securing parks of a certain size suitable for sports and leisure is a challenge faced by megacity Seoul. Small leftover green spaces acquired through urban renewal projects mostly serve as shaded rest areas and thus have limited usability.

For this reason, the creation of parks by repurposing former undesirable facilities, abandoned detention basins, and decommissioned urban planning sites is garnering attention. Changmoo Lee, Professor of Urban Engineering at Hanyang University, stated, “Green spaces are most useful when they are close to where citizens live, not far away. By turning avoidance facilities into parks, the city can not only secure essential infrastructure but also maximize the effect of providing citizens with spaces for rest and leisure.”

Industrial Heritage: Power Plants and Oil Storage Sites Reborn as Seoul Landmarks

Exiting Hapjeong Station on Seoul Metro Lines 2 and 6 and walking about ten minutes toward the Han River, one encounters a large park situated between Tojeong-ro and the Han River. This is 'Mapo Saebit Cultural Forest', opened in 2021, covering an area of 46,000 square meters—the equivalent of about 6.4 international-standard soccer fields. On one side, behind a fence, a remodeling project on an old building with a large smokestack is underway. The prominent tower immediately draws attention; this is the Danginri Power Plant (Seoul Thermal Power Plant), Korea’s first thermal power plant.

Built in 1930 during the Japanese occupation, the Danginri Power Plant supplied up to 75% of Seoul’s electricity needs until the 1970s, functioning as a key power facility. However, with Seoul’s continued expansion, it eventually became burdensome. The current project involves converting the decommissioned underground units 4 and 5 of Danginri into the 'Danginri Cultural Creation Power Plant', a multi-purpose cultural facility. Unit 4 is being remodeled as a cultural venue while maintaining its original structure, and unit 5 is also being renovated while preserving the generator’s form. Upon completion, this long-abandoned power plant is expected to become a major cultural attraction in the southwestern area, hosting exhibitions, performances, outdoor events, restaurants, cafes, and art shops.

Nearby, the 'Culture Tank' in Sangam-dong is another hallmark of urban regeneration, transforming a former oil storage facility into an eco-friendly cultural space. Constructed by the government after the 1973 oil shock, the site stored 69.07 million liters of oil between 1976 and 1998 to ensure energy security. The turning point came with the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, leading to its closure in November 2000 for safety reasons, as the World Cup Stadium was constructed nearby. After being neglected for thirteen years, a regeneration project began in 2013 focusing on preservation and utilization of the oil tanks, culminating in the opening of the present-day 'Culture Tank' in September 2017.

A panoramic view of Seoseoul Lake Park in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon District, created as a waterfront space on the site of the former water purification plant, which Seoul City has stopped operating. It is the largest park in the southwestern area of Seoul. Provided by Yangcheon District Office.

'Seoseoul Lake Park' in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon District, is an example of a large-scale theme park created from a decommissioned water purification plant. Covering 217,946 square meters, it is the largest park in southwestern Seoul. The park originally opened as 'Gimpo Water Purification Plant' in 1959, later renamed 'Sinwol Water Purification Plant,' and provided 120,000 tons of tap water daily to Seoul residents until operations ceased in 2003 under the city's renovation plan. Rather than demolishing the existing structures during the park development, the city chose to recycle them. In conjunction with the restoration of the neighboring Neunggolsan Forest, the park was themed around 'water' and 'renewal' and opened to the public in October 2009.

'Seoul’s Water Bowls': Detention Basins Rapidly Transform into Parks and Sports Facilities

'Yusujis' (detention basins) serve as the city's “water bowls,” temporarily storing stormwater during rainy seasons and regulating its flow before discharging it into the sewer system to prevent flooding. Currently, there are 52 detention basins in Seoul, totaling an area of 1.82 million square meters. Of these, 29 are fully covered, 9 are partially covered, and 12 are uncovered. As of now, there are 2 basins not in use except for disaster prevention purposes.

The use of detention basins involves inherent limitations; since they are submerged during wet seasons such as monsoons, their use has generally been confined to temporary sports fields. Among nearby residents, they were also regarded as undesirable facilities due to unpleasant odors.

The local district offices, which oversee management, have started comprehensive development projects to maintain the flood-control function of these basins while utilizing the sites for diverse purposes. 'Jamsil Yusuji Park', located near the confluence of the Han River and Tancheon, is a notable example. Following ecological restoration works, Jamsil detention basin has become an inner-city ecological park, serving as a leisure space for local residents. Wetland areas totaling 6,700 square meters within the basin have been planted with reeds, silver grass, and other various flowers, and walking trails have been constructed. Next to the park, facilities such as youth baseball fields, artificial turf soccer fields, and even a park golf practice course have been built.

'Mangwon Yusuji Sports Park', located at the confluence of Hongjecheon Stream and the Han River, is a popular leisure space, especially in areas lacking parks. Since its opening in 2004, the park has offered specialty sports facilities such as a dedicated inline skating track, an international-standard soccer field, and a gateball court, as well as night lighting.

Going beyond simple sports park functions, there are an increasing number of cases where the upper sections of detention basins are being developed for multiple purposes. For example, the Gaya Yusuji basin was covered and converted into the Gaya Sports Center, which now provides multipurpose amenities for residents, such as a gymnasium and a library.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.