Gwacheon-Gwacheon, Layout shown the concept of ridges and furrows ⓒ SIAPLAN Consortium
ROUNDTABLE
Kee Hyosung (chairman, Urban-Lab Cooperative, director, Han-A Urban Research Institute)
Kim Saehoon (professor, Seoul National University)
Lee Jaeseung (professor, Seoul National University)
Jung Sanghoon (professor, Gachon University)
Hwang Gayeon (manager, Urban-Lab Cooperative)
Kim Saehoon (Kim): Recently, a rough sketch of the basic design for the 3rd Generation New Towns was publicised. The President Moon Jae-in administration announced their Policy of Providing 300,000 Houses in the Metropolitan area in order to stabilise the housing market. These include the five different districts that have been designated as 3rd Generation New Towns: Wangsuk-Namyangju, Gyosan-Hanam, Changneung-Goyang, Daejang-Bucheon, and Gyeyang-Incheon; and public housing districts: Gwacheon-Gwacheon and Jangsang-Ansan. In general, what do you think of the location, size, and defining characteristics of the 3rd Generation New Towns?
Kee Hyosung (Kee): In terms of their location
and size, the 3rd Generation New Towns are different from the previous New Towns.
First, it broke the unwritten law behind previous New Towns projects – that they
would not encroach upon Green Belt land – by releasing large swathes of the
Green Belt. Of course, it mostly released areas that had been determined to be
third grade or less and of low conservation value. It must have been a decision
made when searching for easily accessible sites within 20km from the centre of
Seoul. In terms of their size, when compared to the previous developments that consisted
of more than a 3-million-pyeong (about 991,735㎡), the 3rd
Generation New Towns are to be developed on a smaller scale. Since they are close
to Seoul and their surface areas, populations, and number of businesses is
relatively small, it will be challenging to implement the proposed aims of
including the ‘creation of jobs’ and ‘pursuit of self-sufficiency’. In terms of the
system, the 3rd Generation New Towns are based on the Special Act on the
Construction of Public Housing, which was revised based upon the Act on the
Special Measures for the Construction of National Rental Housing and the
Special Act on the Construction of Bogeumjari Housing. Accordingly, more than
50% of all housing is public housing, of which more than 35% is public rental
housing and less than 25% is public tract housing. Whereas the previous New
Towns were cities that had mainly 30-pyeong (about 99㎡)
private housing units, the 3rd Generation New Towns are cities of mainly
20-pyeong (about 66㎡) public housing developments.
Kim: Let’s take a look at the design competition
for the basic design of the new towns. Interestingly, the competition guidelines
presented the proposal topics and development directions for each site in a
very specific manner. For example, in the case of Gwacheon-Gwacheon, the
guidelines outlined the governing theme of a ‘street-oriented shared city’ with a plan for land use, area tables, and planning principles.
Going one step further, it also included additional requests such as to ‘avoid
super blocks and to compose small and medium-sized blocks’ and to ‘use a linear
arrangement of mid to low-rises along the street to encircle the overall
design’. Moreover, in addition to the basic design, it requested a proposal for
the ‘Integrated Master Plan for Urban and Architecture’ as mandatory to
submission. Through these actions, the competition designated specialised zones
within the new towns and requested the establishment of not only
two-dimensional plan designs but also three-dimensional spatial plans.
(left) Wangsuk2-Namyangju, Wangsuk-type Courtyard ⓒ G.S Architects Consortium
(right) Gyeyang-Incheon, P-PATH (Park Path) ⓒ Siteplanning Consortium
Hwang Gayeon (Hwang): The fact that the
competition guidelines were specified in such detail means that the host
pondered them greatly in the preliminary stages of their preparations. From the
perspective of a person who participated in a competition, providing specific
guidelines at the early stages of designing a new town of multiple functions
and demands may inhibit freer thinking. The winners must have felt similarly.
As an example, following the guidelines, most of the winning proposals were
designs of small blocks of 60 × 90m modules and courtyard housings. In urban planning,
the process of selecting a particular block size and housing type is extremely important,
but in fact, it was difficult to find an explanation of why the size of the
block should be so small and why the housing units had feature a courtyard.
Jung Sanghoon (Jung): I agree. If the location
already had enough of an urban atmosphere, a small block encouraging contact
between the city and its occupants is more appealing. However, it takes a long time
for a new town to become urbanised after its construction. Moreover, those who
settle in the new town in the first place wish to enjoy a relaxing natural environment
and a rural life with a certain level of urban vitality. In this case, a super block
rather has merit. This is because once a large expanse of land uninterrupted by
roads has been secured, then it is possible to jointly purchase park land,
green areas and open spaces at a reasonable cost.
Lee Jaeseung (Lee): The effort to improve and
standardise the landscapes of the existing new towns through this competition
should be very highly commended. As a result, in the future, it will be
necessary to revisit what the design competitions of the basic design for the
new towns achieved. Should it not be a public project promoter, such as Korea
Land & Housing Corporation (LH), who is the principal agent in initiating competitions
and steering the process of creating new towns, to select a design entry that
can be applied to the public sector – such as urban structures,
infrastructures, public lands, schools, and parks – rather than the private
sector? A design for the private sector that is nicely presented from a given
perspective is, in fact, for areas in which the public cannot guarantee its implementation,
except for areas that can be regulated by district unit plans such as development
scale and construction lines.
Kim: An urban design competition is different
from an architectural design competition, in that an urban design competition
is difficult to establish a 1:1 corresponding relationship between a single concept
and a single form. Let’s talk about the city’s governing concept. In the case of
Wangsuk-Namyangju, the proposed idea was that of a ‘Symbiosis City’, and as the
content of symbiosis, a city of ‘multi-persona’ was presented. However, it was actually difficult to identify the
subject of this persona, how this new town would be different from other new
towns, and how such symbiosis could be transferred to the spatial design. In
contrast, in the case of Gwacheon-Gwacheon, at least I have a high opinion of
the fact that the concept was expressed in a clear spatial vocabulary. I think
it was good decision to compose the urban form through two different types of
band: a linear type where highly-dense developments will take place following the
concepts of ‘ridges and furrows’, and a type of a shared zone which will be
used as parks, green areas and community spaces.
(left) Wangsuk-Namyangju, Specialized planning area ⓒ DA GROUP Consortium
(right) Wangsuk2-Namyangju, Specialized area where the three streams meet ⓒ G.S Architects Consortium
Jung: I personally think a good city is a city that realises a good concept through a highly legible structure. For this reason, it is necessary to have an in-depth discussion of the true nature and the meaning of the urban concept, and on urban structure itself. In terms of the pedestrian environment, there is a lot left to be desired in setting the public-transportation-oriented-pedestrian axis, a spatial sense of encirclement, and establishing the function of the first floor surrounding it. It would not have been easy to resolve this well within the short term of the competition.
Kee: Of the winning proposals, I think the urban
concept of the ‘Eco-Sponge’ proposed for Changneung-Goyang was the best one implemented
within the space. The junction between Mangwol Mountain, the river, and the
city was imagined as an ecotype reservoir while also ensuring it would be used
more ordinarily as Dulle-gil. In the Wangsuk2-Namyangju, after identifying the distribution
of the furniture manufacturing industry – which is deeply connected to the industrial
character of the surrounding area – nearby, the design
aimed to introduce a function of life and cultural design industry in the new
town. I liked that this was realised as the Dumulmeori Square and an Art Center
at which three streams meet. When an urban concept bonds to its local status
and natural conditions, it becomes more powerful.
Kim: I am also curious about your impression
of the metropolitan and public transportation project proposed by the winning
proposals. In general, the design established transportation hubs such as GTX
and S-BRT to act as specialised areas and to emphasise a sense of traffic-friendliness,
with subways and bus stops provided within a 10-minute walk from anywhere in
the new towns increase access to public transportation.
Kee: Access to transportation is extremely important
in a new town. However, considering the short term of the competition and the
identities of the participants, I feel like the objectives of these
competitions ask too much of their contestants. Due to the weight of these expectations,
several winning proposals presented a lot of untested plans for transportation.
For instance, in the design of the Wangsuk2-Namyangju, a regional highway was
presented to Gyeongchun-ro as a six-lane road, with a bus-only lane in the centre followed
by a lane for general vehicles and an outermost lane for self-driving vehicles.
Considering the overall traffic flow, a single one-way lane for general
vehicles is difficult to imagine.
Gyosan-Hanam, Urban Plateau ⓒ GYEONG GAN Consortium
Lee: I believe the ‘traffic-friendliness’ requested
in the guidelines of the competitions is not necessarily an issue for the
transportation system. In terms of qualitative aspects, it is important to
consider the mobility handicapped, the balance of needs posed by pedestrians/bicycles/single
drivers, the speed restrictions on highways and side streets, and the
development of small-scale parking lots scattered throughout, in order to
create a ‘traffic-friendly’ city.
Kim: It is also worth noting that the guidelines
stressed the ‘three-dimensional planning of urban space’ and the ‘mixing of
different classes and generations’. In the winning entry from Gyosan-Hanam, an enlarged
structure resembling the earth’s surface named the ‘Urban Plateau’ covers the Jungbu
Expressway and the Meeting Plaza. I rate the spatial language that resuscitates
a disconnected urban fabric occasioned by large-scale highways very highly.
Jung: I agree with the purpose of mixing different
classes and generations. However, although the ‘Wangsuk-type Courtyard’, suggested
in the winning entry for the Wangsuk2-Namyangju, was a novel attempt, it had to
be adjusted. Housing for 1 – 2 individuals, housing for seniors, private tract
housing, and rental housing do not have to be located in the same block around a
single courtyard as intermediation. It would be better to implement an approach
that would provide a place to encourage interaction . Furthermore, it is
questionable whether there are businesses in Korea that are able to develop and
run such complex housing types on a single site.
Kim: There were other important keywords signalled
by these competitions for the new towns, including economic self-sufficiency and
the creation of jobs. In the earlier 1st and 2nd Generation New Towns different
attempts were made, including inviting large-scale sales facilities and
business facilities and relocating administrative and employment facilities
from other cities.
Kee: When the 3rd Generation New Towns were
announced, the total area of the self-sufficient site proposed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
and Transport (MOLIT) was 13 times larger than the area of the Pangyo Techno
Valley. This implied that a large proportion of the site will serve the
metropolitan area. I presume that it will be difficult to fulfill those supply
demands. This prompted another concern: what kind of companies, roles or
functions will fill the area? The winning proposals suggested mixed-use sites
in order to secure self-sufficiency, but in fact, a highly advanced level of mixed-use is
already feasible in the commercial sites or peripheral city regions in the
existing new towns. Something that differentiates the mixed-use site proposed by
the winning proposals from that of the existing new towns is that the new enables
residential functions—however, it is doubtful whether this will help to strengthen
a notion of self-sufficiency.
Hwang: In terms of the urban environment, it
is impressive to have secured a high percentage of park land and green areas within
these 3rd Generation New Towns. However, on the contrary, it indicates that the
percentage of land that will be supplied for free is high, so in the end, the public
project promoter will eventually adjust their design plans in the direction of expanding
the provisional disposal site in a good location, which can be sold to the private
sector. Throughout this process, the initial intentions driving many commercial
sites and self-sufficient sites may become distorted. The goal and
appropriateness of developing self-sufficient functions in a given city must be
carefully considered along with the location and size of the city.
Goryang Changneung, Eco-sponge ⓒ HAEANN Architecture Consortium
Kim: Finally, please outline the
significance of the competition for the 3rd Generation New Towns and the
meaning that runs through these different winning proposals.
Lee: What I rate most highly in these competitions
is that there has been a slight change to the format of urban design. The previous
process of designing new towns was led by a large construction engineering company
and operated in a rather closed manner. In these competitions for the 3rd Generation
New Towns, there was a balance between cities, architecture, and landscape in
terms of the contestants and formation of the reviewing committee, and the
promotion process has changed to adopt a more open manner. It was also a
admirable gesture by MOLIT to introduce an Urban Concept Planner before the
competition was held, and to conduct a preliminary review of each site. From
now on, I hope that experts from across various fields will collaborate more closely,
settling these spaces into a system that is able to create a truly great new
town.
Kee: Earlier, we discussed an imbalance between
the demand and supply to the self-sufficient site and the creation of jobs in the 3rd Generation New
Towns. Before the announcement of a basic design, there should be an integrated
research project conducted on the core site and its grounds. Design entrants
only study the individual site, so there is no time to figure out the bigger
picture. In terms of the site area, size, number of businesses and employees,
if there is solid basic data set from which plans can will be developed in the
future and shared along with a basic design proposal, more promising design
entries can be submitted.
Jung: It is necessary to select and focus upon
what we want to obtain through the competition for the new towns. I wish the
purpose of these competitions were more clear, for instance, whether they
expect to see entries that can truly be realised as originally designed or if
they want to receive the overall philosophical and urban concept serving as the
basis for directions to be studied in the future.
Hwang: It was good to see these competitions
draw sufficient attention to radical social issues such as super blocks, white
zoning, self-sufficiency, parks and green spaces, transportation challenges, and
logistics and. Aside from this, I am excited to see that small but meaningful cities
that are closed to Seoul, of mainly 20-pyeong housing units and in which young
people live and work, being created.
Bucheon Daegang, The first village near Lake Park ⓒ DA Architects Office consortium
Kim Saehoon graduated from the Architecture Department at Seoul National University and Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is associate professor at Seoul National University Graduate School of Environmental Studies. He is co-running the Urban Studies and Design Lab and authored a book titled Exploring the City Through Cities (Hansup, 2017).
Lee Jaeseung received his Ph.D in planning from MIT. He is associate professor at Seoul National University Graduate School of Environmental Studies. His research and practice focus on reciprocal interaction between urban environments, human behaviour, and quality of life.
Jung Sanghoon graduated from the Department of Civil, Urban and Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University and Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is associate professor at the Department of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture at Gachon University. He runs the Urban Innovation Lab and has authored multiple papers on urban development and urban design.
Hwang Gayeon graduated from the Department of Urban Design at Hongik University and Seoul National University. She is an urban designer at the Han-A Urban Research Institute and the Urban-Lab Cooperative.