Where Will Disaster Prevention Facilities Go to Prepare for Floods? Seoul Focuses on Urban Parks

Discussion on Expanding Disaster Prevention Infrastructure in Urban Parks
Recurring Flood Disasters Expose Limits of Existing Infrastructure
Enhancing and Expanding Water Retention Functions in Urban Parks
Pilot Project Sites Under Review with Plans for Citywide Expansion

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is discussing a plan to utilize urban parks as "Disaster Prevention Parks." The idea is to install disaster prevention facilities in connection with park infrastructure to prepare for flood damage, which is becoming more frequent and severe each year.

According to the maintenance industry on December 4, the city has recently begun a feasibility review of the Disaster Prevention Park project, which focuses on expanding disaster prevention infrastructure within urban parks.

Location map of Cheonggye Reservoir, mentioned as a pilot project site for disaster prevention park, and the park's overall view. Seoul Metropolitan Government

The city is concerned about the increasing frequency of torrential downpours caused by global warming, which are leading to recurring flood disasters. Although hundreds of billions of won are invested annually in related budgets, the installation of large-scale disaster prevention facilities takes several years, during which new damage can occur, resulting in repeated cycles of response and recovery.

Above all, it is difficult to secure available land in urban areas for large-scale disaster prevention facilities such as detention reservoirs. Even the rainwater drainage tunnels currently planned for Gangnam Station and Gwanghwamun have been delayed due to project site adjustments and other reasons.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is focusing on the city parks, which cover 173 square kilometers, or 28% of the city's total administrative area (605.2 square kilometers). Since these parks are distributed throughout Seoul, the city believes they are well-structured to expand and connect disaster prevention infrastructure.

During the review process, the city is discussing adding water retention functions to parks to help share flood volumes with rivers during rainfall. For example, this could involve controlling the water levels of large lakes or ponds within parks. When heavy rain is forecast, the water level would be lowered in advance to secure capacity for water retention.

Last summer, some lakes and ponds in urban parks were already used as "rainwater bowls" (natural detention basins), and their effectiveness was proven. The city plans to develop more detailed installation guidelines and expand the number of parks operating as detention basins.

Potential sites under consideration include Cheonggye Reservoir in Seoul Grand Park, Gwanaksan Lake Park, Boramae Neighborhood Park, Gangnam Yulhyeon Neighborhood Park, and Hangdong Blue Arboretum Neighborhood Park. All of these are either adjacent to or located within areas vulnerable to flooding.

The city is also considering creating evacuation plazas or temporary shelters in addition to detention facilities. These spaces would be used by park visitors during normal times and serve as venues for disaster education and cultural activities.

Relevant regulations are also under review. Since rainwater detention reservoirs installed underground in urban parks are not classified as park facilities, a separate urban management plan decision is required. Negative perceptions of disaster prevention facilities and the potential for collective complaints must also be taken into account.

Internationally, there are many cases of urban parks being used as disaster prevention parks. Notable examples include Tokyo's Rinkai Wide Area Disaster Prevention Park, which serves as a regional disaster prevention hub; Hoboken's Resilience Park in New Jersey, designed to reduce local flood damage; and the rooftop garden at Thammasat University in Thailand, which is equipped to store runoff and rainwater.

A city official stated, "Existing disaster prevention infrastructure has limitations in responding to future torrential downpours. There is a need to create a safety net by utilizing urban parks throughout the city as available disaster prevention infrastructure sites. We plan to conduct a thorough review of effectiveness, focusing on pilot project sites."

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