Urban Regeneration: 27 Projects For Seoul

Yesterday, Seoul city listed 27 areas subject to 'urban regeneration', the latest portmanteau buzzword to regroup many projects introduced over the past months and years. Of course the list includes the not always magnificent seven mentioned earlier this year (see "Diagonal crossings, High Lines, and Business Verticals (how pedestrians and businesses remodel Seoul... and vice-versa)"), and the most spectacular industrial sites already programmed to be converted into cultural spaces.

On paper, I can only subscribe to the five principles supporting this vast plan, in particular because they confirm the intention to dump the old 'Korean new town' model:
1) Humans are now at the center of the city.
2) Abandon the uniform destruction / redevelopment process for a customized approach.
3) Involve residents in the process from the early planning stages to the completion.
4) Abandon short-termism for an evolutive, sustainable approach.
5) Seoul focuses its investments on the community and regional vitality.

These 27 projects have been listed in 4 categories:

• Underdeveloped or declining industrial areas:
   
• 1) Seun Sangga in Jongno-gu (see recent focus: "Revamping Seun Sangga - If Possible Without Vampirizing The Area")
• 2) G-Valley in Guro-gu (Seoul Digital Industry Complex)
• 3) Janganpyeong in Dongdaemun-gu (used cars, see January focus)

• History and culture:


• 4) Sejongdae-ro - Note that after all, Gwanghwamun Square may extend instead of moving west, as feared (see "Gwanghwamun, Donhwamun, and the Tale of two Royal Roads")

twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/571091284665856000

• 5) Mapo Oil Depot in Mapo-gu (this magical industrial site covering 100,000 sqm in Seongsan-dong will become a Cultural Depot Park)

• 6) Hangang-Nodeulseom in Dongjak-gu: at last an end to the drama? this part of the riverside and Nodeul Island have seen so many projects pass by, including with Jean Nouvel...
• 7) Namsan Cablecar area in Jung-gu / Yongsan-gu - not far from the cult Hoehyeon Apartment (see "Hoehyeon Apt, Chungjeong Apt, Dongdaemun Apt, Ogin Apt...")
• 8) Danginri cultural project in Mapo-gu (the Danginri Power Station becomes a park and a cultural space, and Sangsu-Hapjeong has already been colonized by Hongdae refugees fleeing rent hikes)
• 9) Nagwon Sangga - Donhwamun-ro in Jongno-gu: we last mentioned the case of Donhwamun-ro in an October focus, and Nagwon Sangga remains a crux between the Insadong-Anguk-Donhwamun-Tapgol clusters. Over the past decade, the time capsule has shrunk to the underground market, but I love that small guitar shop at the feet of the concrete giant:

• 10) Donuimun in Jongno-gu (for the moment, the machines digging the foundations of Gyonam new town are more visible than the elusive old gate restoration - see posts related to Gyonam or Donuimun, and the old "Donuimun Restoration and Sadaemun Resurrection")

• Underdeveloped or underperforming central areas:
   
• 11) Seoul Station area in Yongsan-gu: see previous posts on the Seoul Skyway (including the January focus and "Seoul Station Elevated Park (Seoul Station Project 7017? The Seoul Vine?) - An Update")
• 12) Changdong-Sanggye in Nowon-gu: among the seven projects mentioned in the January focus
• 13) Coex-Jamsil in Gangnam-gu-Songpa-gu: the International Exchange Complex among the seven projects mentioned in the January focus
• 14) Kwangwoon University Station in Nowon-gu: for 3 years, Seoul has been looking for ways to optimize a massive area between this station (formerly Seongbuk Station) and Seokgye Station, both on Line 1. That part of Wolgye-dong lies between Jungnangcheon and the university.
• 15) Sangam DMC - Susaek: the northwestern side will be beefed up to extend the DMC's creative economy cluster.

twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/572932036878454785

• Old residential zones:
   
• 16) Seonggwak Maeul (Fortress Village) in Seongbuk-gu: the idea is to preserve and maintain this special Seoul village by the fortress walls. Does it mean that the maeul bus won't be anymore the only coach touring this charming ring on the top of a hill overlooking the valley? Seonggwak Maeul has already become more touristic lately, but in the first place, it was not very animated, with quite a few NIMBY-ish residences.

• 17) Baeksa Village in Nowon-gu - an all time fave, and a perfect spot for Seoul's favorite marmot (see "Over the moon")
• 18) Haebangchon in Yongsan-gu: as if HBC's bobo-ization needed a boost from the city...
• 19) Amsa-dong Seoul-type Urban Regeneration Pilot Project in Gangdong-gu: 635,000 sqm themed after history and prehistory
• 20) Seongsu-dong Seoul-type Urban Regeneration Pilot Project in Seongdong-gu: 211,000 sqm themed after the local industries (shoes, leather, printing...). Already a trendy spot. BTW time for a shout-out for the Place SAI team:

SAI Festival 2015 (March 20-22 in Seongsu): saifest.co.kr

• 21) Sinchon-dong Seoul-type Urban Regeneration Pilot Project in Seodaemun-gu: themed after the integration of university students and residents.
• 22) Sangdo-dong Seoul-type Urban Regeneration Pilot Project in Dongjak-gu: 750,000 sqm themed after inter-generation love.
• 23) Jangwi-dong Seoul-type Urban Regeneration Pilot Project in Seongbuk-gu: 318,000 sqm themed after alleyway communities
• 24) Settlements around Bukhansan in Dobong-gu: let's hope that won't spoil the quietest and cutest spots.
• 25) Seochon in Jongno-gu: now almost completely gentrified, the neighborhood doesn't taste the same.
• 26) Changsin-dong and Sungin-dong in Jongno-gu: on each side of Jibong-ro, two neighborhoods with a rich yet humble history (e.g. Changsin's sweatshops...). Seoul wants to make an example of their regeneration...
• 27) Garibong-dong in Guro-gu: the first plans to redevelop the village date from 2003. A couple of years ago, 5 sections were defined for either destruction or rehabilitation, with a few landmarks for the Chinese community. Given security issues in the neighborhood, the multiplication of CCTV is a given, but hopefully, it seems that the focus is now on reviving street life through softer means.

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"Out of Place" - 2012 Anthology - Seoul Writers Workshop

Mobs of wordsmiths gathered over the week-end for a literary triple play at The Orange Tree and Berlin Cafe & Lounge: Lyrically Minded + 'Out of Place' sneak peak (Saturday in Haebangchon),'Out of Place' launch party + AXIS (Sunday in Itaewon).

=> for the 3rd installment of Lyrically Minded, the mike never stopped flying from hand to hand, releasing words in all spoken forms from poetry to rap slam to storytelling to songs.

=> AXIS focuses on true stories told live without notes, and this second edition provided really great ones... featuring more than a few spectacular punchlines.

=> "Out of Place" is the title and theme of Seoul Writers Workshop's 4th annual anthology of original fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction*. Yesterday, in tune with this writing-as-a-performing-art week-end, a few contributors read their piece to a large audience, and I'm afraid I barely managed to mumble mine under a light as dim as my voice (that's okay: as always I've got the excuse of being French). But you want to buy this book to make other voices, voices that really deserve attention and care, heard : this year, proceeds from the sales go to The House of Sharing, the charity that supports the cause of comfort women, the victims of sex slavery during Japanese occupation. Contributed to this year's anthology edited by Christopher R. F. Sanders with Kathryn Whitney, Jorge Miramontes Sandoval, Ang McLaughlin, and Becky Bosshart:
- Death Metal: A Revenge Story (Sean Bienert)
- Je t’attends (Brooke Carlson)
- A Hamster Wheel (Kelly Carroll)
- Catching Butterflies (Alex Clermont)
- The Marble and I (Parag Dandgey)
- Stretch (Hamish Dee)
- Astigmatism (Dianne Despi)
- You Can Always Come Home (Ben Dowling)
- short convo (Jürgen Dünhofen)
- For Daniel Who Is 4 (Vanessa Falco)
- Speakeasy (Meriwether Falk)
- Cheap Thrills – What Price? (Pamila J. Florea)
- Dust to Dust (Grace Gallagher)
- Kodachrome (Jeff Glenn)
- I Drank from Your Hair (John Grimmett)
- Yonsei Lake (Gwee Li Sui)
- The Thirteenth Student (Aireanne Hjelle)
- Turkeys Can’t Fly (Matthew David Jenkins)
- The First Wind of the Death (Joel Killin)
- Silk on Belly (Bruce Kim)
- Cracks (Eric Lynn)
- The Beautiful People (J.C. Maxwell)
- Dawn / Daughter / Stars (Craig McGeady)
- Evening Clouds (Shaun Morris)
- Black Snow (Stephane Mot)
- The Road to Sanbuk (Valerie A. Nelson)
- Out of Place (M. Lee Nielsen)
- Date Night (Karin Roest)
- The Halmoni (Michael Solis)
- Hiking on the East Coast in October (Emily Sorrells)
- color / cockpit / the taxi driver (Ayshia Stephenson)
- Bed Solo (Jennifer Waescher)

Join Seoul Writers Workshop on Facebook, wordpress and ning.
Join AXIS on Facebook.
Join Lyrically Minded via the event page on Facebook (Lyrically Minded doesn't seem to be Webally Linked otherwise).
Support The House of Sharing and visit their museum: houseofsharing.org

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* Check for distribution updates on SWW websites (ISBN 978-1-105-16072-1). For the 3rd edition, see "Every Second Sunday").

SWW @ Hapjeong Chapter 1 Page A

Seoul Writers have been looking for a new lair to hold their week-end* workshops ever since Hello Beans closed on Itaewon street (a shoe shop replaced our proto literary landmark).

After hopping across Haebangchon area, we've made a quantum leap to Hapjeong and landed on Page A's** welcoming thick wood tables. On this picture, fellow Authors Anonymous working on the prompt of the day, "monsoon story" :



A timely theme : rainy season has just started in Korea, and typhoon Meari is rocking the ROK all over this week-end. Crazily enough, I decided to ride my bike and the tempest to join the party. I made it right before the maximum downpour, only half soaked but as always, happy to meet and share with more gifted colleagues.

Seoul Writers : seoulwriters.com

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* the 'every second sunday' dogma doesn't quite fit anymore : specific poetry workshops have been successfully initiated, and fiction workshops are now often organized on Saturdays
** Page A (413-19 Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul)

Hongdae snacks - THE Guksu, Kongbul, Maroon 51, Gilmotongi Chili Cha Cha Fingerfood Bar...

Riding a bike in Hongik University area is always fun and a perfect opportunity to taste various bits of cheap but original food along the way.

Hongdae is a little bit like Itaewon : a neighborhood progressively evolving into a series of very distinct areas, each one with its own character. Very much like Haebangchon grew an identity of its own, Seogyo-dong developped distinct villages and tribes.

The center remains a typical university area full of youngsters : that's the intersection between Seogyo-ro (the W/E street leading to Hongdae's main gate) and the winding street called Geotgosipeun geori to the North (걷고싶은 거리, the tree dotted "Pedestrian Street" or "I like to walk street" in the local lingo / on the konglish signs) and Juchajang geori to the South (주차장길, the grungier "Parking Street", which actually begins as 어울마당길 or "global gathering road").

Both sides deserving their names, I opted for the North and sat by a window at Kongbul's. The name of the restaurant mixes kongnamul with bulgogi : I had the hot and spicy samgyeopsal variety - nothing revolutionary but you get the expected bang for just a few bucks.

The Southwestern part of Hongdae (near Hapjeong Station, the rectangle square drawn by Picasso Street, Parking Street, Donkmak-gil, and Yanghwaro) is definitely quieter and more residential, even if private residences progressively turn into smart offices, shops and cafes. As spring temperatures rise to the level of a decent European summer, you don't really feel in Seoul.

Even the Korean classics are revisited. For instance, "THE Guksu" ("the noodles") proposes for only KRW 4,000 a very refreshing bibim guksu with a lemony flavor and fried bits that crack under your palate. And at Gilmotongi Chili Cha Cha, a self proclamed "Fingerfood Bar" that could pass for any tteokbokki place, you can have for the same price the trio of croquettes of your choice (KRW 1,700 apiece), and I strongly recommend their basil cream croquette - like a melting risotto in a fried shell.

Gilmotongi Chili Chacha has one mini terrasse seating two, from which you can observe the local fauna. The corner of Seollae-1-gil and Noeul-gil feels like a mix of bobo Bastille and vintage Camden.

Streets are much narrower on the other side of Parking Street, a denser cluster of eateries. We parked our bikes against the fences of Maroon 51's fake lawn, a small green triangle at a fork in the road. They are still in trial period and preparing for the official opening in June 2011 : their bulgogi-rice-egg combo probably needs to develop more character, but I really liked their beef and onion sandwich.

Kongbul
Seogyo-dong 345-2, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel +82.2.322.3545

THE Guksu / 더 국수 (noodle bar)
Seogyo-dong 395-7, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK 121-840
(New format : Yanghwa-ro 12-gil 26 (Seogyo-dong))
Tel +82.2.323.4776

Gilmotongi Chili Chacha / 길모통이 칠리차차
Seogyo-dong 400-11, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
(New format : Yanghwa-ro 6-gil 79 (Seogyo-dong))
Tel +82.2.322.8405

Maroon 51
Seogyo-dong 409-14, Mapo-gu, Seoul, ROK
(New format : Wausan-ro 15-gil 34 (Seogyo-dong))
Tel +82.70.8682.5151


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