HBC Highland

ULI Competition, Iowa State University, 2017

A sustainable Urban regeneration proposal for Haebangchon, Seoul

The project proposes strategies for the regeneration of the Haebangchon district. The place has a historical significance as it was a shooting field for the Japanese military in 1945 and later it became an informal settlement for the returning citizens. The Yongsan 2 ga street connects the proposed urban garden at the former US army base and the Namsan park. The existing urban fabric is an amalgamation of historic brick buildings and narrow streets. Our proposal focuses on strategies that would aid in the urban regeneration of this area without disrupting the existing condition. The proposal primarily focuses on improving diversity and community relationships within this region with a series of interventions sprouted along the Yongsan2 ga street. Our analysis of the region through google maps and provided maps show that there is barely any public space in this region. We noticed that the surroundings of the church are concealed with fences keeping a separation between a divine place and the public. We believe, opening these places to the public by creating a green space would establish a relation between people and the divine institution. Moreover, this intervention also acts as a virtual boundary around the church. Keeping this in mind, we proposed a hybrid plaza composed of green spaces, seating elements and play area for the kids.

The north of the street adjacent to the market would be a place for public gathering. Filled with over the head installations which would contain the artifacts made by local artists and the public would be a feast for the eyes. This strategy could improve the communal relations among the residents. In addition, regulating the traffic during the day would be make walking on the streets safe and comfortable for pedestrians. Also, the roof over the market streets would be renovated to allow more natural light into the streets. The market would also consist of vertical community gardens where people would have an opportunity to grow their own food and trade it. These strategies would help improve the social sustainability in this locality.

Our other goal is to improve the Biosynthetic diversity in this region. For this purpose, we proposed the development and maintenance of green allies. This could be achieved by installing elements to transform the existing facades into green facades. The city would provide tax incentives for maintaining a green façade. This way a bottom up strategy would evolve instead of a top down approach. Flexible apartment units that could turn dissect into smaller units as per the needs of the occupants are proposed to improve affordance in the region. This would also attract people of all age groups and income levels. Parking is also another problem in this region. Parking is another issue in this area. On street parking occupies a significant amount of the street leaving little space for the pedestrians and vehicles to move. Therefore, we have identified areas to build multi-level parking spaces to avoid on street parking. The existing parking spaces (behind the church and above the community center) could also be extended to facilitate more vehicles.

All in all, the ideas proposed in this project would regenerate the region by improving the social sustainability through affordance and Biosynthetic diversity while keeping the existing urban fabric intact.