[Choi Jun-young's Urban Pilgrimage] The Age of Electricity and the City

1960s Mark the Start of Home Appliance Distribution... 21st Century Sees More Diverse Electricity Usage
Early Electricity Grew with Cities, Long-Distance Transmission Enabled by AC Power
Future Urban Electricity Use to Increase... Challenge to Create Self-Sufficient, Responsible Cities

If the 20th century is called the era of fossil fuels, the 21st century can be called the era of electricity. This may sound strange. Electricity has been used for a long time, so why is it suddenly called the era of electricity? It is because the amount and proportion of electricity usage have increased compared to the past. In daily life, electricity has long played a role centered on lighting. Light bulbs that brighten the night brought about cities where the lights never go out and completely changed people's living patterns. The increase in activity time, along with the preference for and frequency of use of indoor spaces, was made possible by electricity and lighting. Since the 1960s, electricity has come one step closer to our lives with the full-scale distribution of home appliances. Appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines brought convenience to everyday life.

In the 21st century, electricity is used much more extensively in homes than in the past. Cooking processes that used fossil fuels like gas are being replaced by electricity with the spread of induction cooktops. Air conditioners, once felt like a privilege of the wealthy due to rising income levels, have gradually become essential household items. The spread of various small electronic devices such as smartphones makes people carry chargers and wander around like zombies looking for outlets.

Cities symbolized by high-rise buildings have also grown with the spread of electricity. High-rise buildings became possible with reinforced concrete, glass, and the invention and spread of elevators. The full-scale spread of elevators occurred after electricity began to be used extensively. With electric motors able to pump water to higher floors, people could live comfortably even in tall buildings. Clean electricity that does not emit pollutants also brought changes to transportation. The idea of running railways underground to avoid congested roads began to take shape with the spread of electric locomotives. Electricity, which does not require carrying fuel, exerted greater power, overcoming steep slopes and moving people, thereby changing the appearance of cities. On the other hand, electricity, symbolizing the development of civilization and technological progress, had negative effects from the perspective of urban landscapes. Utility poles erected here and there and tangled wires were considered major elements that spoiled the city's aesthetics.

Early electricity grew alongside cities. The first power plant built by Thomas Edison (1847?1931) was located in the heart of Manhattan, New York, USA. Early power plants, which used direct current that could not be transmitted far, had to be located near demand centers. As demand increased, power plants were established throughout the city. Although it is hard to imagine now, having noisy and foul-smelling power plants scattered around the city was not unusual in early 20th-century large cities, which were already filled with the noise and odors of horse-drawn carriages and automobiles. This situation changed with the spread of alternating current electricity capable of long-distance transmission and the emergence of full-scale electric utility companies represented by Samuel Insull (1859?1938). To improve efficiency, power plants that were divided into several locations began to be consolidated and enlarged. The generated electricity was sent to cities through transmission lines for use. People gradually lost awareness of where electricity was generated and how it reached their homes. Undergrounding to improve urban aesthetics hid the routes of electricity transmission from people. Although electricity can be used anytime by turning on a switch or plugging into an outlet, it has become increasingly difficult to know where the electricity is generated and how it comes to homes. For children born and raised in new towns, utility poles and wires have become unfamiliar entities.

The more electricity a city uses, the cleaner it becomes. This is because no pollutants are generated during its use. Replacing internal combustion engine cars powered by engines with electric vehicles clears the air. The noise created by fuel explosions in engines was a symbol of the city. However, this too disappears with the spread of electric vehicles. The more electricity is used, the quieter the city becomes. However, this comfort in the city makes it more dependent on externally supplied power. Cities originally depended on external spaces for most resources such as food and water. But the expansion of electricity use has further intensified this tendency. It has been taken for granted that electricity generated hundreds of kilometers away to meet the power demand of the metropolitan area travels over mountains and rivers through transmission lines to the city. Through coal dust and pollutants emitted during combustion, and the towering transmission towers and complex transmission lines scattered across mountains, the city is becoming neat, clean, and quiet.

The future city will use even more electricity. In this process, the appearance of the city will change. Charging stations, not gas stations, are appearing as part of the cityscape. The introduction of solar panels and wind turbines to meet increasing power demand is changing the city’s appearance. The city is gradually returning to the state of 100 years ago when electricity was generated and used within the city. How to generate and distribute more electricity in ways different from the past is gradually emerging as a challenge for cities. How to create a responsible city that meets its own needs without outsourcing is not easy but is a task that must be solved. Every time the air conditioner is turned on in increasingly hot weather, we should take a moment to think about the electricity that is invisibly but constantly flowing.

Legal Expert, Yulchon LLC