New Forms of Place-Making and Public Space in Contemporary Urban Development in Seoul, South Korea

Hee Sun (Sunny) Choi

doi:10.4236/cus.2017.53018

Abstract

Place-making and its evolving role in urban design has become a major issue in setting the 21st century urban development agenda. A key aspect of this within South East and East Asia in particular is an apparent tension between global aspirations and local tradition in emerging states such as China, South Korea and Malaysia. The intention of this paper is to provide a better understanding of how new place making can be incorporated in contemporary urban development, particularly within this South East/East Asian context, so that the needs of local cultures can be sustained and developed, whilst acknowledging the desire of emerging states to gain international respect and recognition. The focus of this research is on exploring how these two views of design—the globally aspirational, and the locally situated and informed— might be reconciled, using the particular context of South Korea and the city of Seoul as a case study.

Highlights

The intention of this paper is to provide a better understanding of how new place making can be incorporated in contemporary urban development, within this South East/East Asian context, so that the needs of local cultures can be sustained and developed, whilst acknowledging the desire of emerging states to gain international respect and recognition
Social and cultural urban development taking place, it is important to give consideration to the new forms of public space and place identity being created in response to global forces or transnational urban changes
A critical understanding of the urban transformations of the public open space around Sejong-no, including the demolition of the colonial Governor General Building and the creation of a pedestrian friendly environment, gives a transferable lesson when considering the tension between political power and socio-cultural space in place making

Summary

Introduction

There is a widely held belief (King, 2004; Werbner, 1998; Appadurai, 1996) that contemporary public space is defined by political, economic and technological advancements, with the issues surrounding public space directly linked to the politics and socio-cultural make-up of the local community, and how the situated histories of places within cities and local society and culture intersect. Within this context, the majority of recent South East and East Asian urban. The question that this paper addresses is how can place making contribute to the retention and evolution of a sustainable built environment?

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion