Seoul is one of the world’s most dense cities. While the city is internationally known for the rapid economic growth and massive urban development in the past, it is largely overlooked that fresh approaches to urban development, which differ from the earlier period, are taking place in the metropolitan Seoul. One approach is related to metropolitan scale urban design projects, which are expected to boost the economic competitiveness and global appeal of Seoul, while the other approach is related to local scale urban design projects and is focused on the improvements in the quality of everyday life the city.
Recent social, political and institutional changes in South Korea challenged once prevailing unrestricted economic growth and urban development. In order to deal with the emerging global pressures and opportunities the metropolitan government commenced on an increasingly competitive urban policy during the past decade. The urban development hence gradually shifted towards what used to be promoted as a “balanced urban development of global Seoul.” Yet in reality the intensive neoliberal economic restructuring resulted in speculative urban redevelopment, which brought questionable benefits to the citizens and dissatisfaction with the everyday life in the city. At the same time the improved material conditions led to cultural changes in the South Korean society, such as the importance of environment, social equity, local history and culture or civic participation in decision-making.
The new metropolitan government is now moving away from “a clean and attractive global city” towards what they call “a hopeful Seoul” as “village community”. Yet the changing attitude towards urban development is not only a consequence of political changes, but also reflects a growing involvement of the civic society in urban development. A comparison of the urban design for Gwanghwamun Plaza and Bupyeong Culture Street in terms of how it address local history and culture, quality of everyday life, economic competitiveness, public use, and civic participation in decision-making illustrates well the changing approaches to urban development and urban design in the metropolitan Seoul.
Several traditional markets developed around Bupyeong in the past. Expansion of the new shopping centres and the economic crisis during the nineties resulted in their decline. Local merchants and street vendors, some of them having worked there for more than thirty years, faced a danger of loosing their business. In order to revive the local market and protect their jobs the Bupyeong Market Merchants Cooperative presented the local government a petition in 1998, to reconstruct the market into what they called “pedestrian and cultural street.” However, after the opening the merchants ran into maintenance problems as well as into conflicts with illegal street vendors. The merchants established a committee to independently manage the street and direct its future use. They also achieved a mutual agreement with the street vendors on a joint use and management of the street, which opened the way for its future transformation.
Working with the Urban Action Network, an NGO from Seoul with a long experience in community-based urban design, the merchants organised several workshops since 2005 and improved the urban design and management of the street. The most visible result of such participatory urban design process was the construction of the small pocket parks and improvements of the public space, which attracted a lot of attention. The reconstruction of the street successfully revived the local economy, created new civic culture and the Bupyeong Culture Street now attracts hundreds of citizens daily. Yet the urban design in this case should not be seen as a finished project but rather as an on-going process, where its elements are constantly adopted according to the changing needs of users.
Gwanghwamun Plaza is the most important public space in Seoul and is located in the historic centre of the city. The plaza has a long and turbulent history. The original name comes fr