City Case Study: Seoul

The busy streets of Seoul (Unsplash)

At 605 km², the city of Seoul comprises just 0.6% of South Korea’s total surface area but houses 22% of the country’s population, about 10 million individuals. Seoul is thus one of the densest cities in the world.

Yet, Seoul has demonstrated that a high population density need not hinder liveability. It provides an excellent example of how commitment to citizen engagement and data-supported problem-solving decisions can transform the built environment and improve quality of life for residents of dense urban areas.

Harnessing Data for Systemic Innovation in Transport Planning

Seoul has harnessed the power of data to improve transport network planning. This is most notably done through Seoul’s Intelligent Transportation System, TOPIS (Transport Operation and Information Service). TOPIS is a smart metropolitan city management hub that manages transportation, disasters and other security-related events in an integrated manner. It also takes an innovative approach by applying cutting-edge technology to manage travel demand and improve traffic flows at an affordable cost.

TOPIS predicts and prevents transportation problems before they occur through big data analysis. For example, it gathers and processes real-time road traffic and subway train information to enable the city to efficiently manage intervals between buses, relieve congestion and take timely action when accidents occur. It also allows passengers to select their optimal route based on real-time traffic levels and other variables.

TOPIS processes information related to bus operations in real time, and provides it to the operator, bus companies and bus drivers (Allen Yoo)

Partnering with the Community for Inclusive Development

The Seoul Plan 2030 marked a turning point in the city’s urban planning processes. It was the first master plan that resulted from working closely with citizens to develop the vision and action plans for the city. This milestone required commitment by the leadership of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG). The decision to actively involve citizens was made despite the uncertainties of an untested multi-stakeholder planning process, which stood in contrast to tried-and-tested passive engagement methods like surveys and exhibitions.

Development of the Seoul Plan 2030 involved a Citizen Participatory Group comprising 100 members who were convened to chart the future of Seoul, identify its challenges and propose solutions. This was done together with city officials, planning experts and local politicians.

Seoul also has a Participatory Budget System which allows citizens to decide on the use of up to 5% of the city’s annual budget. Since 2012, about ₩50–60 billion (approximately S$58–72 million) is set aside each year for projects proposed by citizens. To complement this initiative, the SMG enables citizens to improve their neighbourhoods through the Community Building Project, which provides training and consulting services to help residents generate ideas and implement initiatives.

Co-designed and co-managed by residents, 369 Village is a community development project aimed at revitalising a formerly neglected area into a vibrant cultural and artistic hub (Centre for Liveable Cities)

Making Ongoing Efforts to Address Key Urban Challenges

Despite its achievements, the city continues to face new challenges. Given its high population density, housing availability and affordability are critical issues for the SMG. Over the past decades, Seoul has stepped up its provision of public housing and introduced numerous cooling measures to improve housing availability and affordability. Despite these efforts, Seoul’s housing price to income ratio continues to be high—in 2021 it was 30.56, significantly higher than Singapore’s 17.17 and London’s 14.34. It is also still working to catch up to the high homeownership rate of 56.6% that it had in 2008, with rates climbing from 54.7% in 2021 to 55.8% in 2022.

Other challenges persist in the housing landscape as well, including social segregation, housing accessibility for youths, financing of public housing construction and deterioration of old housing stock. In response, the government has rolled out initiatives to entrench the city’s hard-won advances and to prepare for the future. These comprehensive measures run the gamut from housing to trade to the environment. For example, to provide more affordable housing and boost the economy, the government is turning 6.9 million m² of unused or underused state-owned land, including a traffic island in the Yeonhui-dong area, into public housing and offices. This project, slated to be completed by 2028, is expected to produce 22,000 homes and 205,000 jobs.

Envisioning a Shared Future for the City

Seoul is set on a firm path of transforming itself into a city with high standards of liveability for the benefit of its residents. By engaging citizens as active participants of the city’s development, Seoul demonstrates that a bottom-up approach is not only feasible but leads to positive outcomes that empower residents to own a shared future for the city.

Through comprehensive measures to address issues that span from housing and transport to trade and the environment, as well as its participatory governance policies, Seoul is not just a model of urban development, but a shining example of a liveable and inclusive metropolis.