[Choi Jun-young's Urban Pilgrimage] New Towns That Need Space for Breathing

After Initial Chaos, New Town Built Over 10 Years Becomes Attractive
But After Another 10 Years, Advantages Fade... Simultaneous Construction Leads to Aging
Continuous Change Like Gangnam and Proper Land Space Securing Are Key

Over the past 30 years, many new towns have been developed, and work is currently underway to create the 3rd generation new towns. Although it is generally known that new town construction began in the 1990s, in fact, it dates back to the 1970s. The new towns built during that time were Changwon in Gyeongnam and Banwol in Gyeonggi (now Ansan), aiming to create 'rural industrial cities' where factories and residential areas were well harmonized. However, during the construction process, a huge budget was spent on building infrastructure, while land sales did not proceed properly, causing significant difficulties.

In the early 1980s, with the successful construction of large-scale new towns such as Sanggye-dong and Mok-dong, the direction of housing and urban development began to shift from supplying individual plots to gradually providing large-scale apartments. The economic recovery brought by the mid-1980s' "three lows" boom led to an explosive demand for housing. Under the policy of fundamentally solving housing problems, the concept of expanding existing land development districts to build new cities emerged, with the initial plan focusing on bedroom communities centered on housing.

However, the spread of automobiles after the mid-1980s caused severe road traffic congestion. Since the initial announcement of new town construction plans including Bundang, concerns about traffic issues grew, leading to a shift in planning direction toward expanding roads and enhancing self-sufficient functions within the city. Although this can be seen as a return to concepts similar to those of the 1970s, the biggest difference was securing office spaces rather than industrial facilities like factories. The transition to a service industry influenced new town planning.

New towns are evaluated as well-planned cities that quickly improved quality of life by providing various conveniences and facilities that existing cities could not offer. Green spaces, parks, safe sidewalks, and sufficient school sites, which rapidly expanding industrial cities could not supply, made new towns attractive. Looking back at the 1st generation new towns, which are now about 30 years old, the houses are aging, but the park and green space systems are increasingly shining over time.

However, although new towns embraced innovative concepts and bold approaches to meet the demands of the times, their attractiveness has diminished over time. In contrast, the Gangnam area of Seoul, which was expected to shrink due to the rise of new towns, has explosively grown in the 2000s and maintained its top status. The factors often cited for this Gangnam resurgence are education and workplaces. The presence of proven good schools, abundant private education facilities, and many workplaces has led to a renewed recognition of Gangnam. While this is partly valid, the true competitiveness of Gangnam should be sought elsewhere.

Since new towns are planned cities, land uses are marked with colors on the initial blueprints. The intended occupants for each use are clear, and quickly filling all spaces without gaps has been considered a successful new town project. If some areas, including commercial zones, remained unsold, it was regarded as a problem in planning and project execution, attracting heavy criticism. Eventually, such lands were either repurposed or subdivided for sale. Through this process, new towns became densely packed with buildings. New towns constructed over about ten years become attractive once the initial chaos passes, but after another ten years, they age and lose their appeal. New towns are entities that are built all at once and age all at once.

In contrast, the Gangnam area has continuously adapted to changes and maintained its status as a central district. Although it might seem densely packed with apartments, walking through Gangnam reveals that large-scale apartment complexes are not widespread except in certain zones. Initially, land development and individual plot sales focused on building detached houses, so apartments were mainly constructed in special apartment districts. Due to this characteristic, Gangnam continues to evolve by providing buildings and spaces that meet the demands of changing times.

Urban space is influenced horizontally by available land and vertically by floor area ratio. How to conserve and efficiently use these limited resources is crucial. While new towns and redevelopment in northern Seoul poured their potential all at once, Gangnam has been using it appropriately in stages. The expectation that Gangnam will maintain its competitiveness regardless of how new towns are developed is rooted not only in simple disparities in transportation and educational facilities but also in these fundamental factors.

To prevent newly created new towns from repeating past problems, it is necessary to leave enough space to respond to future changes. Although some reserved land is currently designated, most of it is in plots with poor shape or location. Securing an appropriate area of land within developing zones is key. Rather than leaving it as empty land, it would be better to create minimal facilities such as simple sports facilities or spaces mainly planted with annual flowers, and use them flexibly as needed. Instead of equipping all infrastructure according to the current floor area ratio, it is also important to leave room for future expansion. Just as the beauty of blank space is essential in Joseon dynasty paintings, it is now time for our urban planning to ensure sufficient space and flexibility.

Legal Expert, Yulchon LLC

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