[Exclusive] Seoul City to Create '2040 Landscape Plan' for Diverse Skyline

Revising Seoul's 2016 Existing Plan
Drawing Blueprint in Line with Oh Design Seoul 2.0
Improving Urban Design Beyond Matchbox Apartments

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] Seoul City is redrawing the blueprint to move away from matchbox-style apartments along the Han River and create a diverse skyline. In line with Mayor Oh Se-hoon's 'Design Seoul 2.0,' the city plans to establish the '2040 Landscape Plan' that reflects Seoul's future landscape vision. The goal is to revamp the Seoul landscape plan established in 2016 during the late former Mayor Park Won-soon's administration to dramatically improve the city's face.

According to Seoul City on the 24th, the city announced a bid for the '2040 Seoul Metropolitan City Landscape Plan Establishment Service' the day before. The landscape plan is a blueprint to preserve excellent natural, historical, and cultural landscapes while uniquely creating new landscapes. The existing Seoul landscape plan was established seven years ago in 2016.

A Seoul City official from the Design Policy Division, Urban Landscape Team, explained, "It is time to review the landscape plan according to the Landscape Act (every five years), and a new plan is needed in line with Mayor Oh's upcoming announcement of Design Seoul 2.0."

Design Seoul is a catchphrase introduced by Mayor Oh when he took office in 2006. It embodied the will to improve urban landscapes, including the construction of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). Mayor Oh, who was re-elected in July last year, announced the reactivation of Design Seoul 2.0. At that time, Mayor Oh said, "We will promote Design Seoul 2.0 to make Seoul a high-quality smart design city," adding, "We will expand artistic and emotional design not only in the public sector but also in the private sector to dramatically improve the urban landscape." Accordingly, Seoul City has operated a dedicated urban landscape task force (TF) to promote Design Seoul 2.0 and has been working on a new landscape plan.

Skyline [Image source=Pixabay]

Seoul City aims to present a vision for Seoul's future landscape through the establishment of the 2040 Landscape Plan and to dramatically improve urban design by establishing phased implementation plans.

In particular, the plan is expected to include specific guidelines to secure a harmonious skyline, which Mayor Oh has emphasized. It will establish skyline reference points from the perspectives of natural, urban, historical-cultural, and waterfront (Han River and four major streams) landscapes, including both short- and long-term implementation measures. The skyline refers to the outline of buildings, trees, hills, etc., that appear to meet the sky and is considered a core element of urban landscape. However, although the Han River is a major element forming Seoul's skyline, it has been criticized for being monotonous and cut with a knife due to matchbox-style apartments.

In response, Mayor Oh announced in the '2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan' unveiled in March last year that the 35-floor rule along the Han River would be abolished, and diverse floor heights would be arranged to create a varied skyline, moving away from matchbox apartments. Additionally, on the 9th, when announcing urban and architectural design innovation measures, he stated, "To achieve a harmonious skyline, we will allow the construction of super-high-rise apartments if conditions such as landscape and views are met."

A Seoul City official explained, "Major cities with well-formed skylines like London in the UK and Paris in France check and manage changes from past to present from the same viewpoint, but Seoul lacks reference points, so data construction through a new landscape plan is necessary."