[Seoul's Future] Vice Chair Kim Sun-ah "Yongsan Development Must Consider Content and Flexibility"

Asia Economy Seoul Future Forum - Panel Discussion on Yongsan's Future
"Yongsan, 'What Content Should Fill It' Must Come First
The Future Characterized by Variability and Flexibility... Characteristics Must Be Considered"

A proposal has emerged that in developments across Yongsan, including the Yongsan International Business District, 'soft content' based on the actual experiences of space users should be prioritized over physical elements.

Seonah Kim, Vice President of the Korea Urban Planners Association and CEO of Spacing Engineering Architecture Office, stated this on the 26th at the '2024 Future of Seoul Forum' hosted by Asia Economy at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, under the theme 'The Future of Yongsan.'

Kim Sun-ah, Vice President of the Korea Urban Planners Association, is attending and discussing at the '2024 Seoul Future Forum: The Future of Yongsan' held on the 26th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Vice President Kim said, "While many cities have been preparing to become cities that can create 21st-century economic opportunities, we missed the chance. The same applies to Yongsan, which requires preparation when viewed from that perspective."

To that end, Kim argued that focusing on the internal content should take precedence over so-called 'big picture' development plans and designs. He explained, "Many things such as the international business district, residential areas, and perspective drawings have been revealed, but the most important question in the Yongsan plan is which companies and industries will enter there and who will work there. It is not about massively increasing the floor area ratio on a physical level and then thinking about what will fill it; the order has been reversed."

Kim added, "I feel that thinking only about physical buildings and urban spaces limits imagination further," and suggested, "If we put down all the drawings and think about which industries will enter, architects and planners who create the space can make spaces where they can exercise infinite imagination." Regarding the current domestic laws and systems that require the physical framework to be established first in development plans, he emphasized, "Innovating the system is a priority."

He also noted that the characteristics of future generations who will use the 'completed Yongsan' are rapidly changing. Kim said, "The completion of Yongsan could be 20 to 30 years from now. It is a space that today's teenagers will have to use," adding, "We need to consider how this space will be developed when that generation becomes their 30s and 40s."

Kim continued, "I believe the characteristics of future cities are variability and unpredictability," and conveyed, "Communication with the generations who will actually use that space is necessary."

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