# Repurposed Garden Highways MVRDV Transformed a Seoul Highway into a Garden Promenade By Joey Haar | Published 2017-05-22 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seoul-highway References: [dezeen](https://www.dezeen.com/2017/05/22/mvrdv-seoullo-7017-conversion-overpass-highway-road-park-garden-high-line-seoul-south-korea/) Though they were once thought to be efficient arteries for transportation, [urban highways](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-ecological-design) have fallen out of favor in the minds of urban planners, which left the Seoul highway that ran through a kilometer-long stretch of the city in a complex position. The highway, which was built in the 1970s, was no longer a viable conduit, so the city looked to Dutch design firm [MVRDV](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gate-m-west-bund-dream-center) for a solution. Taking cues from the hugely popular [High Line](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-greenwich-turntable) walkway in Manhattan, MVRDV transformed the Seoul highway into a pedestrian walkway called Seoullo 7017. It is replete with hundreds of planters that display a wide variety of foliage, giving the formerly barren concrete piece of urban engineering a new, green imagination. The plan also simultaneously removes cars (and their attendant carbon emissions) while adding plants (which consume carbon from the atmosphere.) ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.2/10 - Popularity: 56% | Activity: 33% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Repurposed Highways:** Cities are finding innovative ways to turn once-thought efficient arteries for transportation into pedestrian walkways filled with plant life. - **Green Urban Design:** MVRDV's transformation of a Seoul highway into a pedestrian walkway filled with planters displays how cities are prioritizing sustainability in architecture. - **Remaking Urban Public Spaces:** The transformation of the Seoul highway into the Seoullo 7017 pedestrian walkway offers a blueprint for how city planners can rejuvenate their decaying public spaces. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Architecture and Urban Planning:** Architects and urban planners have an opportunity to create sustainable green spaces by repurposing existing urban infrastructure. - **Sustainability and Environmentalism:** The remaking of urban public spaces with sustainable attainability, i.e., the creation of green infrastructure, is becoming an important element of the sustainability revolution. - **Transportation:** Repurposed highways project creates a new approach to pedestrian walkways, which sets up new business opportunities, like electric bike rentals or food carts offering sustainable food choices. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Renewed Urban Rooftops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heineken-seoul-rooftops.md) - [Urban Roofscape Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/central-yards.md) - [Musical Island Regeneration](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/soundscape-1.md) - [Tree-Lined Urban Highways](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dubai-green-spine.md) - [Greenery-Filled Skyscraper Terrarium](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/terrarium-cheongdam.md) - [Draped Plant-Design Shopping Centers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/calwer-passage.md) - [Graveyard-Transformed Public Parks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/park-of-memories.md) - [Integrative Garden Cafes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cheongsudang-bakery.md) - [Revived Heritage Courtyards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/savarin-project.md)