Different Purpose, Similar Design: the Seoul Wangsimri New Town Development

In this paper, the Seoul Wangsimri New Town project is examined. Qualitative elements are analyzed including a comparison of the axial maps from the space syntax theory. According to these comparisons, spatial configurations of blocks are similar among the existing neighborhood, the first and the final proposed neighborhoods. The first proposal was planned with sequential development and preservation of existing street and block layouts, and the final proposal is planned to be constructed on empty blocks after demolishing the existing old neighborhood. Yet, both proposals, the first master plan and the final master plan, end up with similar situations for the neighborhood. Thus, making apartment neighborhoods means that the physical attributes of detached houses should be changed and approaches to creating apartment neighborhoods should be different from detached housing neighborhoods.The Seoul Wangsimri New Town can be considered an urban redevelopment rather than an improvement of existing urban contexts even though those proposals intended to preserve or continue its existing contexts. For economic preference, the final proposal will be chosen and the first plan can be considered an ideal proposal but less practical. Therefore, the design result can be different from the design purpose in the urban housing redevelopment.