Exploring Neighborhood Unit’s Planning Elements and Configuration Methods in Seoul and Singapore from a Walkability Perspective

Jeeun Lee,Sohyun Park

doi:10.3390/su10040988

Abstract

This paper is to explore how the neighborhood-unit concept, which had been initially promoted by North America and the United Kingdom, was adopted and utilized in the Asian cities of high-density developments, such as Seoul and Singapore from a walkability perspective. Among various environmental elements of walkability in a given neighborhood unit, 10 planning elements, as well as their configuration methods, were drawn from the review of the existing studies, which became an analytical framework for this paper. The findings of the analysis are as follows. First, there were similarities, yet also marked distinctions between the cases of Seoul and Singapore, on the one hand, and those in North America and the UK on the other, with respect to the configuration methods, categorized into four groups of typologies: ‘Neighborhood Size’, ‘Neighborhood Structure’, ‘Neighborhood Network’, and ‘Neighborhood Facilities’. The differences largely resulted from the high-density developments in Seoul and Singapore. In the years since the 1990s, however, when the concept of sustainable development was strengthened, the configuration methods, related to ‘Neighborhood Structure’ and to ‘Neighborhood Facilities’ in most cases, were enhanced to suit more neighborhood walking. The initial concept of the neighborhood unit was actively modified to accommodate the high-density urban situations in Seoul and Singapore, having both positive and negative impacts on neighborhood walkability.

Highlights

In the early twentieth century, the United States and United Kingdom proposed a variety of neighborhood-based planning models for residential developments via a two-way flow design [1,2,3,4]
In the case of the US and the UK, the neighborhood-unit planning was largely utilized for low-density residential developments of new towns in the early 20th century, removed from the daily congestion of the city but close enough for commuting to work [4]
How was the neighborhood-unit concept, which had been initially promoted for low-rise, low-density neighborhoods in North America and the United Kingdom, adopted and utilized in Asian cities with high-rise, high-density developments, and how could it be explained from a walkability perspective?. Recognizing these discussions and questions, this paper investigated the unique characteristics of the way Seoul and Singapore have adopted these neighborhood unit models in contrast to how they were initially promoted in North America and the UK

Summary

Introduction

In the early twentieth century, the United States and United Kingdom proposed a variety of neighborhood-based planning models for residential developments via a two-way flow design [1,2,3,4]. In the case of the US and the UK, the neighborhood-unit planning was largely utilized for low-density residential developments of new towns in the early 20th century, removed from the daily congestion of the city but close enough for commuting to work [4]. These developments had an influential role in the growth of developing countries, as they too underwent economic growth and urbanization in the 1960s. The neighborhood planning concepts of the US and of the UK were regarded as critical points of reference for various residential developments [6,7,8]

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Methods

Conclusion