[Seoul's Future] Lee Hee-jung: "The Future of Seoul is a City Realizing the 'N-Minute Living Zone'"

"The future competitiveness arises from the simultaneous transformation of three elements: time, space, and knowledge." Professor Lee Hee-jung of the Department of Urban Engineering at the University of Seoul quoted Alvin Toffler to describe her vision of the 'future.' The future she envisions for Seoul aligns with this concept. Professor Lee stated that if Seoul's 'N-minute living zone' becomes a reality, it will lead to a 'time innovation' by reducing wasted commuting time and a 'space innovation' through mixed-use residential and workplace cities (직주락, Jikjurok), paving the way toward a new future. We met Professor Lee on the 31st of last month at her research office in Baebong Hall, Jeonnong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. The following is a Q&A.

- What is the 'N-minute living zone'?

▲ After the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world experienced lockdowns, the need for a new urban model different from before emerged. Simply put, the 'N-minute living zone' is an urban concept that creates a neighborhood-based living environment where essential daily services are accessible within N minutes, maintaining the existing 'quality of life' even during a pandemic. The concept was first proposed by Professor Richard Florida of the University of Toronto, Canada. He noted that an adult walks about 1 mile (1.6 km) in 15 minutes, leading to the idea of a 15-minute city. This concept first appeared as a future urban planning idea in Portland, Oregon, after 2010.

A representative example is Paris's '15-minute city.' This policy, promoted by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, aims to reorganize Paris into a neighborhood-based living city where essential daily services are accessible within 15 minutes, transforming it into an eco-friendly green city centered on walking and cycling. This approach provides a foundation for survival by enabling self-sufficient living and reducing carbon emissions even under new normal conditions like pandemics that cause city shutdowns. Given the global emphasis on 'quality of life,' it is difficult to discuss Seoul's future urban development plans without including the concept of the N-minute living zone.

Professor Lee Hee-jeong, Department of Urban Engineering, University of Seoul.
Photo by Kwak Min-jae

- Is Seoul moving toward an N-minute living zone?

▲ On the 5th of last month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the finalization and public notice of the '2040 Seoul Urban Master Plan,' which incorporates the N-minute living zone concept. This plan serves as the highest-level spatial guideline for various plans Seoul will pursue, outlining the city's future vision for the next 20 years. The seven major goals include creating walkable daily life zones, reorganizing waterfront-centered spaces, three-dimensional infrastructure development, expanding central functions, expanding future transportation infrastructure, creating a carbon-neutral safe city, and a major transformation in urban planning. Notably, the plan introduces the concept of 'walkable daily life zones,' eliminating spatial boundaries between residential and work areas. It aims to comprehensively reorganize daily life spaces primarily for residential use, transforming all of Seoul into a self-sufficient living zone where residents can enjoy housing, jobs, and leisure within a 30-minute walk, reflecting the N-minute living zone concept well.

The 2040 Seoul Urban Master Plan envisions reorganizing Seoul's spatial structure into 100 small cities or living zones. Reorganizing Seoul, which once approached a population of 10 million, into 100 N-minute living zones signifies a departure from the so-called 'Radiant City' model, a major pillar of industrial-era urban planning. The Radiant City model, proposed by French architect Le Corbusier, is a modernist urban design theory that increases density through high-rise buildings while allocating ample space for roads and parks. Reorganizing Seoul into 100 N-minute living zones represents a new self-sufficient urban planning model better suited for future mega city regions. This concept extends the N-minute living zone to the metropolitan area and aligns with the compact and networked urban model currently discussed at the national level as a decentralized-concentrated city model.

- How can Seoul realize walkable daily life zones?

▲ To realize walkable daily life zones, it is necessary to provide workplaces, cultural facilities, waterfront green spaces, and public transportation hubs within N minutes. Especially as workplaces and residences mix, citizens' commuting times decrease, and time spent with family increases, making green parks essential. Yongsan Park, currently being developed as an urban park, is a prime example. Utilizing the Yongsan U.S. military base could create a massive urban park larger than the entire Yeouido area in Seoul.

Yongsan Park is particularly important because, as an urban park, it can buffer the high-density international business district development planned for the nearby Yongsan Maintenance Depot site. Manhattan's Central Park is a representative example. Around Central Park, there are high-rise residential buildings, shopping, and cultural facilities, making it a vibrant space bustling 24/7 with New Yorkers and tourists. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has announced plans to create an Asian-style Silicon Valley in the heart of Seoul, twice the size of Yeouido Park and 40 times Seoul Plaza. The plan is to develop the Yongsan Maintenance Depot area into a mixed-use international city combining jobs, housing, leisure, and culture, where all urban life activities can be done in one place. If ultra-high-rise buildings exceeding legal floor area ratios are constructed here, Yongsan Park nearby could become a green park that citizens can enjoy 24 hours a day.

- Is there enough available space to create N-minute living zones throughout Seoul?

▲ The issue of insufficient available land can be addressed by 'undergrounding above-ground railroads and arterial roads,' creating new spaces in central Seoul. This secures new spaces that enhance connectivity between regions and provide various urban functions. These spaces can be developed into above-ground parks and three-dimensional mixed-use developments. Most above-ground railroads pass through central Seoul. By undergrounding railroads and arterial roads, new spaces can be created in central Seoul while resolving urban spatial disconnections, aging surrounding areas, and environmental issues such as noise and vibration.

Europe has several cases where undergrounding railroads or roads secured urban space and improved connectivity in old city centers. Cities like Madrid and Bilbao in Spain, London and Manchester in the UK, and Paris and Lyon in France have addressed infrastructure shortages through undergrounding and linear park creation. In Korea, the undergrounding of the above-ground section of the Gyeongui Line and the creation of a park on the surface, known as 'Yeontral Park' in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, is a representative success story.

It is also possible to underground Yongsan to develop it as a transportation hub and enhance regional connectivity. Mayor Oh Se-hoon has proposed creating a transportation node beneath Yongsan Park, where major arterial roads converge, on the site of the Yongsan U.S. military base. This is similar to La D?fense, a new town on the outskirts of Paris, where highways, subways, and general roads are built underground. The undergrounded Gyeongbu Expressway runs from Hannam IC, across the Han River, to underground Yongsan, connecting to Gangbyeonbuk-ro, Goyang City, and potentially to Sinuiju and the continent after future reunification.

Professor Lee Hee-jeong, Department of Urban Engineering, University of Seoul.
Photo by Kwak Min-jae

- Yongsan development seems crucial for future Seoul.

▲ Yongsan, a transportation and military strategic point, holds a very important position in the center of Seoul on the map but has not been utilized due to various historical reasons. It served as a Mongol military logistics base at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, was occupied by Japanese forces during the Imjin War, and by Qing forces during the Imo Incident. After liberation, Yongsan became a U.S. military base, acting as a kind of barrier difficult for us to utilize.

Ironically, Yongsan has become a 'reserved land for future generations.' Since almost no available land remains in Seoul due to extensive development, this space is precious. Especially to incorporate new urban functions like the N-minute living zone, reserved land is essential. Large cities like Seoul cannot be developed all at once and require cyclical development. Without spare space to relocate functions from existing areas, development is difficult. Through the flexible space of Yongsan, functional reorganization across Seoul can be realized. With the presidential office relocation empowering Yongsan, integrated approaches to Yongsan Park creation, Gyeongbu Line undergrounding, international business district development, and waterfront space development in Yeouido and along the Han River are advisable to realize N-minute living zones throughout Seoul.

- What is the direction for transportation innovation to create living zones across Seoul?

▲ Undergrounding above-ground railroads and roads relates to future transportation modes, such as urban air mobility (UAM) represented by air taxis and autonomous vehicles. UAM is a future transportation mode that maximizes mobility by using air routes in congested cities with crowded roads and railways. The issue is that UAM, a type of drone, carries safety risks from potential crashes. For UAM safety, communication interference must be avoided, making operation difficult in high-rise building areas. Undergrounding roads and converting surface areas into parks to secure green spaces can help mitigate communication interference. In case of crashes, green and waterfront spaces can serve as buffers. Autonomous vehicles also benefit from underground spaces for more efficient control and management against weather changes.

Transportation innovation ultimately reduces wasted commuting time, leading to 'time innovation,' increasing time for self-development and family. Traffic congestion issues on Han River bridges during rush hours will be alleviated, environmental pollution from inter-regional travel reduced, and the quality of life for Seoul citizens greatly improved through excellent natural facilities, landscapes, and green spaces formed on undergrounded roads, the Han River, and waterfront areas. In this space where the 'space innovation' of mixed residential and workplace cities (직주락) is realized, people can enjoy new leisure and rest, enhancing individual work efficiency and fostering the development of advanced IT and creative industries.

- What should be noted to move toward future Seoul?

▲ Seoul is a city with many assets. However, the gap between Seoul and local regions is widening due to issues like local extinction. In this regard, Seoul's development should be approached as a national project. Given limited national budgets, if Seoul appears to receive preferential treatment, opposition and backlash from local areas may arise. Therefore, it is important to gain trust that Seoul's development also benefits local regions. The success story of Bilbao, Spain, can be benchmarked. Bilbao addressed its comprehensive urban challenges through cooperative governance. Originally a prosperous city due to its strategic maritime location and abundant iron ore supporting shipbuilding, steel, and iron industries, Bilbao declined as industrial leadership shifted to Asia.

Bilbao planned to become a cultural city but faced difficulties due to conflicts among 30 basic local governments in the Basque region seeking greater benefits. However, Bilbao promised to distribute port and industrial hubs near cultural centers, expanding the beneficiary area and enabling the development of the entire city and region. Eventually, Bilbao established itself as a world-renowned cultural city and regional brand. Similarly, Seoul must gain trust that it will coexist and prosper with neighboring regions and local areas to successfully complete long-term development projects.

Who is Professor Lee Hee-jung? She graduated from the Department of Urban Engineering at Seoul National University and earned her Ph.D. in Architecture, Urban, and Landscape Studies at the University of Seoul Graduate School. After serving as a visiting professor at the University of California, she currently holds positions such as a member of the Seoul City Architecture and Urban Integration Review Committee, Environmental Impact Assessment Committee, Jongno-gu Cultural District Review Committee, Cheonggyecheon Restoration Committee Urban Planning Division, Gyeonggi Province Urban Planning Committee, and design review committees for Gwangju and Ansan cities in Gyeonggi Province, as well as the overall supervisor for seven major landscapes in Sejong City. Her extensive involvement in new town development, regeneration, and restoration projects makes her one of the top experts in urban planning and design both domestically and internationally.