Haeundae Rusty Railway Wins Grand Prize... Green Railway Awarded 'Korea Landscape Award'

The view of the sea forest trail from Mipo to Songjeong in the Green Railway section.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The 'Green Railway,' created by utilizing the abandoned Donghae Nambu Line site in Haeundae-gu, Busan, won the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award at the '2021 Korea Landscape Awards.'

The award ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. on the 12th at the Culture Tank in Mapo-gu, Seoul. An exhibition of the winning works will also be held until the 17th.

The Korea Landscape Awards, organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korean Society of Landscape Architecture since 2001, comprehensively evaluate landscape policies and practical cases to honor outstanding local governments and private projects. It is the most prestigious award in the domestic landscape field.

The Green Railway is a barrier-free urban walking trail created by utilizing the abandoned Donghae Nambu Line site from the Olympic Intersection in Haeundae-gu to the Songjeong area.

It is regarded as a representative case of urban regeneration that transforms the abandoned railway site into a 'forest path in daily life' that adds rest and enjoyment to citizens' everyday lives, thereby reproducing the spatial and cultural value of the city.

From 2014 to 2020, Busan City invested 31.5 billion KRW in a total 9.8 km section from the Olympic Intersection in Haeundae-gu to Songjeong, renovating the trail with walking paths, exercise facilities, pedestrian and observation decks, benches, and various types of flowers and trees.

Busan City plans to create living area forests accessible within 15 minutes, including the Haeundae Green Railway, to provide residents with resting spaces and connect urban green corridors to reduce fine dust and mitigate the heat island effect in the city, moving toward a green city through carbon neutrality.

Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, said, "I hope the Green Railway will become a resting place that comforts citizens exhausted by COVID-19," and added, "We will continue to create living area forests to improve citizens' quality of life and contribute to making a pedestrian-friendly city centered on walkers."

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