Seoul Targets Construction Of 1,000 Parks By 2026 To Fight Climate Change And Reduce Stress

Illustration of the park in Seoul, South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/Cultural Heritage Administration)

JAKARTA - The Seoul City Government last month announced plans to build around 1,000 parks across the South Korean capital by 2026, to provide more green space for residents in an effort to help reduce their stress.

This initiative, named "Interesting Parks, Companion Park Projects," comes as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced plans last year to create various parks and gardens, to create a green path connecting cities and to fight climate change, reported by The Korea Times April 1.

The project will create 300 "attractive gardens" each year, with the aim of building 897 parks by 2026, as well as about 100 "companion gardens" targeting socially vulnerable classes, the city government said. They plan to invest 265.9 billion won (200 million US dollars) in the project.

City officials said citing research findings, admire the park for reducing anxiety levels by 20 percent compared to city views, while spending time in the park at least once a week reducing stress-induced suffering by 60 percent.

Small parks will be built in 167 locations near residential areas, so residents can feel the changing seasons, and 279 parks will be built at city center points, including near roadsides, building roofs, and flyovers.

Meanwhile, about 451 other parks will be added to major parks in the city.

Later, this project will also involve the construction of around 100 "companion gardens" dedicated to use by children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

The city government will start by building a park in the elderly welfare center in the first half of this year, then building more parks in hospitals and elderly welfare centers managed by the city government.

To increase public interest and participation in this new project, the city government plans to create various cultural and tourism programs that suit every garden characteristics.

Future vision of the project will be showcased at the Seoul International Garden Show 2024, which will take place at the Ttukseom Han River Park, for five months starting in May.