A linear urban park, opened to the public in October 2020, that unfurls along 5 km of the eastern coast (150,474 m2), with an entrance to the Haeundae district, one of the most modern and dynamic neighborhoods in the city. The park is equipped with scenic trains flanked by a pedestrian path and came about within the context of the redevelopment of a disused railway line that connected Haeundae to the nearby Songjeong seaside resort.
Migliore + Servetto Architects handled the complete art direction and designed the pedestrian walkways, the access roads, the installations, the lighting, the wayfinding, the logo and the visual identity. The route begins in the ultra-modern Haeundae district and is divided into three main stages: the first is Mipo Station, the departure station, at the foot of the Haeundae skyscrapers; the route then winds along a rocky peninsula on the sea until it reaches Cheongsapo, a typical fishing village that stretches out onto the coast with its small port; finally, it arrives at the historic station of Songjeong (dating back to the 1920s), a seaside resort in Busan with sandy beaches. The plans for an observatory on the sea and the two new stations – the first section of which has a panoramic cable car running alongside it – are by the Korean studio Mooyoung.
The input of Migliore + Servetto Architects has transformed the new functional route (panoramic railway-cable car-path) into a place with a strong experiential connotation geared towards hospitality, reactivating the relationship between the inhabitants of Busan and a long stretch of coast that has been neglected despite being home to a wealth of beautiful landscapes. The whole project has restored a naturalistic, recreational and narrative space to the city, one that has been enriched with installations that amplify the experience.
“Visitors are thus invited to follow a park with a linear structure”, state designers Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto, “as they tread a path that interconnects natural splendours with the past and present history of the place. This journey is framed within a narrative that offers visitors new perceptions that constantly change over time. The line it traces does not only translate back to the old railway tracks, but it also becomes a synthesis, not only between the past of the site and its current form, but also between what the park is and what it could be, a place brought to life through being experienced.”
Photo © Jae Young Park, Hoyeon Shin
