Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced a new green initiative against air pollution and rising urban temperatures. It intends to plant trees along rivers and roads to open what it calls ‘wind paths’ that will direct clean and cool air generated at night from Gwanaskan Mountain and Bukhansan Mountain into the city center.
The city will start creating the wind paths in November with the Korea Forest Service. Its aim is to complete them by the end of 2021.
The project calls for three different types of wind path forests. Wind-generating forests, which will include pine trees and maple trees, will direct the fresh air of the forest to flow towards the city center. Connecting forests, which will feature air-purifying plants such as wild cherry trees and oak trees, will purify the air as it flows from the forest to the city center. The plants’ leaves will absorb particulate matter, while the branches and tree trunks will block the moving particulate matter. Finally, so-called ‘stepping or spreading’ forests will be created in the city center itself, such as parks, green rooftops and living walls.
Cities Today reports that the initiative could help reduce the average temperature in downtown Seoul by up to 7C in the summer.
The project will cost USD 15 million, and the costs will be shared equally between the municipality and government funding.
