Seeking Strategies to Overcome Population Decline and Build a Megacity
'Gwangju-Jeonnam Metropolitan Transportation Network Construction Forum' poster. Provided by Gwangju City Council
The "Forum on Overcoming Population Decline and Establishing a Megacity through the Construction of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Metropolitan Transportation Network" will be held on October 29 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the main conference room of the Gwangju City Council. The forum aims to address the crisis of population decline in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province and the concentration of population in the Seoul metropolitan area.
This forum, sponsored by Optonics Co., Ltd. and the Innovative City Policy Research Institute, is jointly organized by Gwangju Jeonnam Future Vision, the Gwangju City Council, and the Gwangju Civic Organizations Council. The event will explore strategies for building transportation infrastructure to integrate Gwangju and South Jeolla Province into a single living sphere.
Presentations will be given by Im Gwanggyun, Professor of Railway Operation and Management at Songwon University, and Cho Jinsang, Professor Emeritus of Urban Planning at Dongshin University.
Professor Im will emphasize that "the success of the Gwangju-Jeonnam megacity must begin with the integration of the transportation network, not administrative unification." He will propose the goal of achieving "30-minute travel within the Gwangju area and 1-hour travel within the Jeonnam area," and will suggest the establishment of a Gwangju Songjeong Station multi-modal transfer center, expansion of BRT-level metropolitan public transportation, construction of a 350-kilometer circular metropolitan railway network, and the creation of a "Gwangju-Jeonnam Metropolitan Transportation Organization (provisional name)."
Professor Cho will suggest that, following the failure of the preliminary feasibility study for the Gwangju-Naju metropolitan railway project, a low-cost, high-efficiency metropolitan railway model utilizing existing lines should be considered to overcome the lack of business feasibility. He plans to introduce the Daegu-Gyeongbuk metropolitan railway case, which connects Gumi, Daegu, and Gyeongsan, as the first successful metropolitan railway outside the Seoul metropolitan area using existing lines with a total project cost of 200 billion won. He will explain that applying this method to the existing Gwangju-Mokpo line, as well as the Jeolla and Gyeongjeon lines, could enable fast and economical connections.
Designated discussants will include Naju Mong, Professor of Economics at Chonnam National University; Park Pilsun, member of the Gwangju City Council; Ki Usik, Secretary General of the Gwangju Civic Organizations Council; and transportation officials from Gwangju City and South Jeolla Province. They will discuss ways to promote the integration of metropolitan railways, roads, and public transportation, as well as the financial feasibility of these initiatives.
Attention is focused on whether this forum will serve as a starting point for the integration strategy of the Gwangju-Jeonnam metropolitan transportation network, which aims to overcome local extinction and realize a megacity in the southwest region.
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