Gangbuk LRT - Naebu v. Seobu, or PARK v. OH?

Out of the blue, Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled a brand new, 24.8 km, 15-station subway line joining Mok-dong (Yangcheon-gu) to Cheongnyangni (Dongdaemun-gu) along the Naebu Expressway, that disgraceful overpass scarring countless Seoul neighborhoods*.

Construction would start as early as 2021, for a project that was not even part of the 10 LRT projects announced for 2025 in 2015 ("Seoul subway to gain 89 km by 2025"). Yet, it would connect the dots between two of them: the Mok-dong Line to the West (Sinwol-dong - Mok-dong), and the Myeonmok Line to the East (Cheongnyangni - Sinnae).

"서울 내부순환로 땅 밑으로 '강북횡단 경전철' 건설 추진 출처" (Chosun Ilbo 20190212)

*

As you well know, I'm all for new railway lines, but all this seems a bit hasty, if not suspicious:

• such projects usually take years and years to study, and 2021 seems a very aggressive target for starting the construction
• the route doesn't seem optimized for transportation needs, but happens to be on land mostly owned by the city, which may speed up the process
• as we've seen before, subway projects are highly political in Seoul, and countless railway projects announced before key elections have been dumped afterwards. Yet as soon as a project actually starts, land value immediately jumps
• the only date given is the start of the project, and 2021 happens to be the year preceding the next presidential elections
• this Gangbuk LRT / Naebu Line / Naebuseon could cannibalize, and maybe even kill a major project the city and many partners have been working on for a long while: the Seobu Line / Seobuseon, confirmed as a priority by the city not so long ago ("Seobu Line confirmed as Seoul's LRT top priority")
• Seobuseon was initiated under former mayor OH Se-hoon who, like his successor PARK Won-soon, hasn't given up his presidential ambitions, even if, for the moment, both are lagging behind in the polls**
• this new project is supposed to be part of Seoul's third urban railways plan, to be announced later (that's a 10-year plan, last one was for 2015-2025, maybe the plan will be revealed in 2020, but this can't wait because of the elections)
• ...

This may sound a tad cynical but again, announcements related to subways have always been heavily political (whatever the party in charge), because there's so much at stake at the real estate level, and you know how much that counts in Seoul.

*

Now, let's have a closer look at this new line. We don't have the details yet, particularly the list of stations, or how the Han River or Bugaksan shall be crossed (doubling Seongsan Bridge and the Bugak Tunnel? under the Hangang?), but we can get a more than general idea.

Comparing the new map (above) to the one featuring the previous 10 projects (see ""Seoul LRT Projects Update (Part 1/2)", "Seoul LRT Projects Update (Part 2/2)"), and of course the Naebu Expressway, here's my best guess, going from West to East:

• 'Gangbuk LRT' seems to start from the potential Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital station of the Mok-dong Line (west of Anyangcheon, and Dangsan Station). 
• it then seems to intersect with Line 9 at Sinmok-dong Station before crossing the river on Seongsan Bridge
• on the other side of the river, it would certainly meet Line 6 at Mapo-gu Office
• after that, it probably connects with Gyeongui Jungang Line / Gyeongui Line at Gajwa Station, and Line 3 at Hongje Station, with a couple stations in-between (at least one at the intersection of Jeungga-ro and Hongjecheon, between Yeonhui-dong and Namgajwa-dong, and one at Seodaemun-gu Office)
• we know that the new line joins the Ui-Sinseol LRT line at Jeongneung Station (Seongbuk-gu), but it would be utterly stupid to spend millions just crossing the mountain like the Naebu Expressway, and leaving Jongno-gu's Pyeongchang-dong valley completely off Seoul's railway grid. I would rather follow the road (Segeomjeong-ro / Pyeongchangmunhwa-ro), and add one station right before Inwangsan (in Hongeun-dong), and a couple in the valley itself, for example***: 
• one at the feet of Sangmyung University Seoul (Hongji-dong at Jahamun-ro), or at the Sinyeong-dong Samgeori (Segumjung Elementary School at Jinheung-ro)
• one or two at the intersection with the roads leading uphill (e.g. at Pyeongchang 20-gil)
• so far, between Mok-dong and Jeongneung, we have listed 9 to 11 stations, which leaves us 4 to 6 until the end. Judging by the map, I could add up to 5 existing stations: on Line 4 (Gireum Station), Line 6 (Wolgok Station, Korea University Station), and Line 1 (Jegi-dong Station, Cheongnyangni).

The main advantages would be to cover two big holes in Seoul's subway map: central Seodaemun-gu, and Pyeongchang-dong, and to add horizontality where it could make sense. But the Seobu Line is far better designed for the needs of Western Seoul, doubling the Naebu Expressway would demand disproportionate investments, and there are probably far smarter horizontals to build.

Of course, the fact that many cars use an urban highway doesn't mean that many citizens would take the same route by subway. Fundamentally, this top-down project doesn't seem fully thought through. I hope Seoul has a more serious and comprehensive plan to not only fix these two holes, but also pave more cleverly the (rail)way for the removal of the city's embarrassing elevated expressways.

*

Anyway, even if this project fails, and even if Mayor PARK fails in 2022, he still can run another marathon: Seoul has just been confirmed as Pyongyang's sister city in the bid for the 2032 Olympic Games (little suspense there, Busan didn't make much geographical sense):

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* most dramatically in the charming Hongjecheon valley (see "Along Hongjecheon, my way or the highway")
** in a mirror fashion, Prime Minister LEE Nak-yon leads against Seoul Mayor PARK while former PM HWANG Kyo-ahn leads against former Seoul Mayor OH (including in the race for LKP leadership later this month, with a vote expected during Trump-Kim Summit II in Hanoi):

2022 poll (JoongAng Ilbo): liberals LEE Nak-yon, RHYU Si-min, PARK Won-soon, conservatives HWANG Kyo-ahn, OH Se-hoon, HONG Joon-pyo (20190103 - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/1080637278605570048)

*** that's what I had in mind in the 'second circular line' project mentioned in my comment dated "August 20, 2013 at 6:00 PM"

New Town out, Redevelopment in, back to the Urban Jungle

Korean economy badly needs a boost, and the government opted for a quick fix with long lasting effects: in "the republic of apartments", easing apartment regulations always sounds like giving junkies one massive free shot (about this most typical Korean addiction, see for instance "The Republic Of Apartments", or "Inhuman, all too human Seoul").

This at a moment when the real estate market got a bit sounder, many empty apartments created by new town bubbles eventually finding tenants. And what to say of the recent easing of DTI (Debt To Income) and LTV (Loan To Value) ratios as household debt keeps skyrocketing (over 8% last year)... 

But this is less about supply and demand rationale than about giving work to construction conglomerates, and a boost to voters' morale. I don't have the details of the 30% of the 2,400 regulations that shall be dumped by 2017, but social welfare is unlikely to gain ground to short term profits. Typically, the proportion of apartments reserved for rentals in any given block will be reduced, and there will be fewer constraints on unit sizes. LH Corporation's key assets will be sold to private developers, who really seem to be the ones calling the shots here.

Not very P.C. for an administration supposed to fight speculation and defend the interest of the weakest citizens. Interestingly, the very day the set of measures were announced, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon met with Deputy PM Choi Kyung-hwan, a first meeting at such level since 2006, to discuss collaboration on infrastructures, including facilities along Hangang riverside, and a second cable car on Namsan*.

The best measure in the package is the end of what I call the 'greenfield new towns' (see "Wet eyes for wetlands and urban mirages"): instead of improving existing neighborhoods, authorities prefer to create artificial cities ex nihilo and extra muros because land is cheaper. Now hopefully, Korea shall significantly reduce the risk of urban nonsenses.

The most anticipated measure is the reduction of minimum age requirements by up to ten years for the reconstruction of apartment buildings, which means that the bed towns erected around the Olympics in the late eighties shall be replaced much earlier.
 

Korea to cut construction regulations: no more satellite New Town, but apartment redevelopment accelerated / Urbanism deregulation means that apartment blocks in Sanggye, Mokdong or Jamsil will be redeveloped much sooner - twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/506611541722935296

This set of maps shows the chronology of the development of habitations in Seoul (before 1980, during the 80s, 90s, and noughties).

Among the 1987 projects that could be up for reconstruction in 2017: Sanggye-dong (Jugong 3 blocks), Gaepo-dong (Useong 3 blocks), Mok-dong (5 blocks), or Apgujeong-dong (Hyundai 3 blocks). I wouldn't be surprised if the upscale Apgujeong moved first, and made the most of these tailor-suited gifts. Nowon seems also ripe, and there's a shortage of big apartments in this former bed town gone middle class. Some apartment blocks will grow taller and more exclusive, others will struggle to find investors. 

What bugs me most is what will happen to the rest of Seoul. This remains a non-zero sum where even winners in the short term can lose in the long run. Giving free reins to private developers could help speculation return to LEE Myung-bak-era levels, and torpedo the nascent efforts to develop a more consistent and sustainable urban planning. 

The risks are well known, and the cases of urban failures across Seoul already well documented. This is the last opportunity to apply a sustainable vision for urbanism in Seoul, and certainly not the moment to let anyone do anything anywhere. 

Good or bad, the years that come will define Seoul's cityscape for good, and local authorities cannot wash their hands of the future of the capital and its citizens.

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* e.g. Korea JoongAng Daily 20140902: "Apartments to be rebuilt sooner" and "Deputy prime minister, mayor talk cooperation"

Seoul LRT Projects Update (Part 2/2)

This post completes my tryptic on the revised Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Master Plan:

• Episode 1 ("If you ain't broke, fix it: Seoul, Welfare and Railways Deficits"): focus on the macro level of this master plan (the big picture, and Seoul's proposed 3 priority axes
• Episode 2 ("Seoul LRT Projects Update (Part 1/2)"): focus on the full list of 10 LTR projects, 3 potential further projects (in blue on the map below), and the first 3 lines of the list, which I dubbed "The 3-Tailed Dragon" (Seobu Line, Sillim Line, Nangok Line)
• Episode 3 (today): the rest of the list, including another intriguing phenomenon, the tentacles of Line 2.
• NB: you may as well browse all posts related to Seoul subway

Before starting, one last glance at the map...

Seoul map with the projected LRT lines: the initial 7 in black, the updated list of 10 in red, 3 potential further projects in blue

... and at the updated list of LRT lines (7 + 3 + maybe 3, see previous post), with their projected daily traffic and length:

• 7 lines in the initial list (in black on the above map):
• Dongbuk Line (183,276 users, 13.3 km extended to 14.3)
• Seobu Line (163,754 users, 15.7 km extended to 19.5) - see previous post
• Sillim Line (119,743 users, 8.9 km extended to 10) - see previous post
• Myeonmok Line (91,472 users, 9 km)
• Mok-dong Line (89,587 users, 10.8 km)
• Nangok Line (54,247 users, 4.1 km) - see previous post
• Ui-Sincheol Extension (30,227 users, 3.5 km)
• 3 new lines (in red on the above map):
• Wirye-Sinsa Line (168,784 users, 14.8 km)
• Subway Line 9 Extension (65,159 users, 3.8 km)
• Wirye (33,081 users, 5 km)
• for the 3 potential further projects (in blue on the above map), see previous post

And remember: this is only Seoul's wishlist, n projects at various stages of maturity, not even a final proposal. Don't expect everything to happen.



Mokdong Line: a new tentacle for Line 2

I'm starting with this project today to wrap up Southwest Seoul (after the Seobu, Sillim, Nangok lines and the Hongdae-Hwagok project). The Mokdong Line seems to be doubling the Subway Line 5 and the weird Sindorim-Kkachisan tentacle that grows from Subway Line 2. Actually, "Mokdong" is basically a new L-shaped Line 2 tentacle reaching from Dangsan to Sinwol, that crosses the first one without any connection, and fundamentally brings more traffic to Line 2 and to the growing Dangsan hub. On a more positive note, it alleviates the Sindorim and Yeongdeungpo-gu Office stations, and serves more directly central Mok-dong (between lines 5 and 9), plus the westernmost neighborhoods of Guro-gu, on the outer side of line 5.

• Fundamentally, I don't like the idea of multiplying converging lines to a saturated axis, and to see all new line projects stop at Seoul borders, as if it were a wall. Particularly when, on the other side of this frontier, Bucheon's Ojeong-gu is solely crossed by the Gyeongin Expressway. I subscribe to the ambition of having most Seoul citizens living a maximum 10 mn walk away from subway stations, but Seoul is not an island, the city must improve its dialog with Gyeonggi-do, offer alternative to cars for commuters, consider maybe a second ring beyond line 2.... Always this deficit in vision and long term impacts, but also always these political bottlenecks at the local, regional, and national levels, which tend to multiply quick fixes, and to prevent larger scale and more sustainable projects from emerging.

• The 12 projected stations (approximative list):
• Dangsan Station (Subway Lines 2, 9) in Dangsan-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu: a confirmation of the Dangsan-Yeouido-Noryangjin triple hub. The Mokdong Lines heads westwards.
• Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital / Wolchon Middle School at the frontier of Yangpyeong-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, and Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu: a high density "apateu" neighborhood on the other side of Anyangcheon
• Mok-dong / SBS in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu: on the other side of the Gyeongin Expressway / Gukhoe-daero axis, by SBS center.
• Omokgyo Station (Subway Line 5) in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu: still following the general direction of the Mokdongseo-ro / Mokdongdong-ro axis.
• Yangcheon-gu Office in Sinjeong-dong, Yangcheon-gu: the station will be close to the actual office, a couple of blocks away from the Yangcheon-gu Office Station on the older "tentacle" of Line 2... I hope they are somehow connected, or that they'll come up with a different name, otherwise we're in for another Sinchon Station mess (the Line 2 - Gyeongui Line stations share the same name but are not connected). But according to the maps, the new tentacle crosses the old one without any connecting station. I know this is a light rail, low cost project, but considering the scarcity of subway lines in this city, I don't understand how one can come up with non-intersections. This is supposed to be a network, for gimchi's sake! Granted, it's already complicated to get a train in the direction of these weird tentacles...
• Sintree Park in Sinjeong-dong, Yangcheon-gu: at the intersection of Jungang-ro and Sinjeong-ro. Line 2 passes here, and if this Sintree Station were on line 2, it would be exactly halfway between Yangcheon-gu Office and Sinjeongnegeori Stations.
• Seobu Truck Terminal / Yangcheon high schools in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu: at the intersection between Nambusunhwan-ro (Nambu Ringway) and Sinjeong-ro, which continues across Waryongsan to Bucheon via the Gungdong Tunnel. At one stage, a short sub-tentacle was supposed to grow from here to Sinjeong District 3 and to a line depot, but the line follows Nambu Ringway northwards
• Gangsin Middle School in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu: further on Nambusunhwan-ro 
• Gangwol Elementary School in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu: at the intersection with Sinwol-ro. A lot of apartment blocks have been erected to the left of these last two stations, on the eastern slopes of Waryongsan, where the sub-tentacle would have landed.
• Sinwol Interchange in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu: at the intersection between Nambu Ringway and Gyeongjin Expressway
• Sinwol-dong Sageori in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu: at the intersection with Garogongwon-ro, which leads to Gogang-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon
• Sinwol in Sinwol-dong, Yangcheon-gu: at the intersection with Hwagok-ro, a significant road that leads to Gayang Bridge and the DMC to the East and (as Bongo-daero) to Jakjeon Station in Incheon

Ui-Banghak Line: not so simple

After yesterday's "3-Tailed Dragon" and this new tentacle, I'm taking a break with the simpler Ui-Banghak Line. No headache here, we're only prolonging the Ui-Sinseol Line, already well under way, to Banghak Station. The vertical between Bukhansan and Line 4 will then follow the parallel all the way to Subway Line 1.

• No headhache? Note that Ui-Sinseol basically prolongs Line 2's eastern tentacle (Seongsu-Sinseol-dong), but that's not the same technology (LRT). Note also that this is not exactly an extension, but an outgrowth starting from the next to last station (Ui - Munigyo)... do we need more sub-tentacles? Typically the consequence of short term planning.

• The 12 initial stations (reminder) - NB: tentative names, as usual here:
• Sinseol-dong (Subway Lines 1, 2) in Dongdaemun-gu.
• Bomun (Subway Line 6) in Seongbuk-gu
• Sungshin Women's University (Subway Line 4) in Seongbuk-gu
• Jeongneung (Jeongneung Samgeori) in Seongbuk-gu
• Kookmin University - Seokyeong University (Jeongneung-dong) in Seongbuk-gu
• Sinmia / Dongbuk Market in Gangbuk-gu
• Samyang-dong Samgeori / Samyang Market in Gangbuk-gu
• Hwagyesa / Sinsuyu in Gangbuk-gu
• Ui Elementary School / Insu / Suyu in Gangbuk-gu
• 4.19 Memorial Cemetery in Gangbuk-gu - close to Duksung Women's University in Dobong-gu
• Ui / Munigyo Samgeori in Gangbuk-gu
• Bukhansan / Ui-dong Resort in Gangbuk-gu. Theoretically the beginning of the line, and the line depot.
• 2 new stations are planned for the new Ui-Banghak Line (4 stations overall):
• Ui / Munigyo Samgeori (Ui-Sinseol Line) in Ui-dong, Gangbuk-gu: intersection of Samyang-ro and Haedeung-ro, which the new line takes eastwards, crossing Uicheon.
• Banghak / Ssangmun / Seondeokgogyoipgu in Banghak-dong and Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu: at the intersection between Haedeung-ro and Sirubong-ro, in the middle of a massive new town. The line continues eastwards then takes Dobang-ro to the left.
• Dobang in Banghak-dong, Dobong-gu: intersection between Dobang-ro and Sirubong-ro 15-gil
• Banghak Station (Subway Line 1) in Dobong-dong, Dobong-gu:

Dongbuk Line: The Northeastern Light Rail Highway

One of the longest projects, and the one expecting the heaviest traffic, the Dongbuk Line improves coverage in Northeast Seoul and alleviates traffic from the saturated subway lines 1 and 4. Starting from Wangsimni Station, it initially stopped at Eunhaeng Sageori, but has been stretched to Sanggye Station.

• Wangsimni confirms its role as a major hub west of the city center. Seoul takes care of its bed towns on the way, but doesn't extend the hand to the other side of Buramsan (well in the first place, Gyeonggi-do didn't plan any railway for its own New Towns there - a total nonsense for XXIst century urban planning).

• Projected stations (tentative list):
• Wangsimni Station (Subway Line 2, 5, Jungang Line) in Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu
• Doseon Sageori in Doseon-dong, Majang-dong, and Hongik-dong, Seongdong-gu: intersection of Gosanja-ro and Majang-ro
• Jegi-dong Station (Subway Line 1) in Yongdu-dong and Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu. Note that we could have stopped on the way at Yongdu Station in the eastern tentacle of Line 2.
• Korea University Station (Subway Line 6) in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Cheongnyangni-dong, Dongdaemun-gu
• Sungnye Elementary School in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu: along Jongam-ro
• Jongam in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu
• Miasamgeori Station (Subway Line 4) in Songcheon-dong and Songjung-dong, Gangbuk-gu. From then, the line follows the Wolgye-ro diagonal
• Odong Park - Dream Forest in Songjung-dong, Gangbuk-gu
• Dream Forest in Beon-dong, Gangbuk-gu, and Jangwi-dong, Seongbuk-gu
• Wolgye Station (Subway Line 1) in Wolgye-dong, Nowon-gu: then, the line crosses Jungnangcheon, and Wolgye-ro becomes Hangeulbiseong-ro
• Hagye Station (Subway Line 7) in Hagye-dong, Nowon-gu: and the new SeMA Nowon
• Daejin High School in Hagye-dong, Nowon-gu: intersection Hangeulbiseong-ro / Nowon-ro
• Eunhaeng Sageori in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu: intersection Hangeulbiseong-ro / Junggye-ro (reminder: walk up that street to reach Baeksa Maeul). Where the line stopped in previous plans.
• Sanggye Station (Subway Line 4)

Myeonmok Line: Eastern Eggs

Starting from Cheongnyangni, the Myeonmok Line covers a triangle between subway lines 1, 5, and 7 in Dongdaemun-gu, and almost reaches subway line 6 in Sinnae-dong, on the other side of the Jungang Line.

• Private investors are interested by this line. Maybe because it can easily be prolonged, at a cheaper cost than line 6, to the Namyangju New Towns that will necessarily have to be connected some day. And speaking of connections, this line ignores the old Jungan Line as well as the Bonghwasan terminus of Line 6.

• Projected stations (tentative list):
• Cheongnyangni Station (Jungang Line, Subway Line 1) in Jeonnong-dong and Cheongnyangni-dong, Dongdaemun-gu.
• University of Seoul in Jeonnong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu: the gate at Seoulsiripdae-ro and Jeonnong-ro
• Jeonnong-dong in Jeonnong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu
• Jangan-dog Sageori in Jangan-dong, Dongdaemun-gu: at the intersection of Dapsimni-ro and Jangan-ro, the line continues along the former, crosses Jungnangcheon
• Myeonmok / Myeongmokcheon-ro in Myeonmok-dong, Jungnang-gu
• Myeonmok Station (Subway Line 7) in Myeonmok-dong, Jungnang-gu
• Dongwon Sageori / Gyeomjae Samgeori in Mangu-dong, Jungnang-gu
• Yongmasan in Mangu-dong, Jungnang-gu: intersection Yongmasan-ro / Bongujae-ro, former Yongmaland amusement park
• Mangu Sageori in Mangubon-dong, Mangu-bong, Jungnang-gu: intersection Yongmasan-ro / Mangu-ro - NB: we're passing between the Mangu and Yangwon stations of the Jungan Line, but no connection...
• Jungnang-gu Office in Sinnae-dong, Jungnang-gu
• Neungsan Samgeori in Sinnae-dong, Jungnang-gu
• Sinnae in Sinnae-dong, Jungnang-gu

Wirye Sinsa Line & Wirye Line: New Town, Old Routes

At the frontier with Seongnam, Wirye New Town (Geoyeo-dong and Jangji-dong, Songpa-gu) gives its name to two projects:

• The Wirye Line is an omnibus crossing the whole new town with 9 very close outdoor stations (it really looks like the Paris Tramway), and perfectly connected on both sides to existing subway lines (Macheon on line 5, Bokjeong on lines 3 and 8). Again, I'm not a fan of new town, but I would never allow any major project that doesn't from day one include a robust railway backbone, and this one has at least that right. Do we need 9 stations, and did we need this new town in the first place, that's another question.

• The Wirye Sina Line does more than connect this new block to the grid: it goes all the way through to Sinsa, and I think this area has already seen many new lines in a recent past. Almost 15 km of essentially redundant lines, THAT's probably way too much.
• The line would start from the lower third of the new town (7th station out of 9 on Wirye Line), follow line 8 around Jangji-Munjeong, until Garak Market. This first stretch is totally redundant and disproportionate. Remember, Wirye Line IS already connected to Line 8. Had this WSL started from the 5th station of the WL, and added a brand new station in the middle of non covered land (Munjeong-dong - Jangji-dong, halfway to Garak Market) it would still look too much.
• After Garak Market, miracle: a new station in a less covered place (even then, Garak-1-dong is close to Songpa Station. WSL follows Tancheon and Tancheondong-ro, but I don't see any station on that long stretch... which line 9 is supposed to be covering soon anyway. So here again, almost total redundancy.
• What next? WSL goes north, crosses lines 2 (Samseong Station), 9, and 7 (Cheongdam Station). Then it becomes a parallel to the same lines 2, 9, and 7, that will meet the soon to be extended Bundang Line, and meet Line 3.

Line 9 Extension

From the start, the Subway Line 9 Extension tells a lot about the failed Subway Line 5 fork. Forks and tentacles are not natural forms for railways. Line 9 will basically follow this vertical from Seoul Veterans Hospital (Dunchon-dong, Gangdong-gu) to Godeok Gangil District 1 (Godeok-dong, Gangdong-gu), but frankly prolonging subway line 8 would have done the job. It's just that while many neighborhoods have yet to see a railway line, some love to build three or four parallels just for fun. Okay. I'm getting tired here. And it's good to have a line (9) that crosses the whole city - and I hope, one day, beyond (I already wrote that I expected one of these lines to reach to Guri and Hanam. Someday).

*

Now if you don't mind, I'll drop the maps and take a nap.

Until the next batch of projects.


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* see "'서울 어디서나 도시철도 10분' - 철도 중심시대가 열립니다" (seoul.go.kr 20130725)

From Sweet Home to Happy Housing

Remember Bogeumjari ("Sweet Home")? LEE Myung-bak's government decided to bite into Seoul's remaining green sanctuaries to build homes for the underpriviledged - behind the noble alibi, an environmental, urban, economic, and social nonsense (see "Tighten your greenbelt").

"Sweet Home", but Sour Greenbelt: welcome to Bogeumjari Gangnam

The PARK Geun-hye government tries another concept: Haengbok Jutaek ("Happy Housing"). The idea is to improve existing neighborhoods, promote social mixity, and - hopefully - develop a more sustainable story while building 10,000 new units to rent for households in the need.

How to find affordable land on more central areas? By covering railway tracks and reservoir facilities, for instance, like at Oryu-dong Station (Guro-gu), or Gajwa Station (Namgajwa-dong, Seodaemun-gu). It confirms recent declarations about covering railways across Seoul, something the DMC would badly need to improve the urban continuity with Susaek-dong and Eunpyeong-gu.

I don't know how if the "University Student Town" planned over Gajwa Station (Gyeongui Line) will replace or compete with a similar project in Hongje, also in Seodaemun, also targeting students from the 5 nearby universities (see "Along Hongjecheon, my way or the highway"):

Seodaemun University Student Town and other Happy Housing projects ("서대문엔 대학생 타운, 안산엔 외국인 센터 짓는다" - Chosun Ilbo 20130521)

Overall, 6 neighborhoods have been selected in Seoul*, plus one in Ansan, where the story will be about multicultural dialog (in Gojan-dong, Danwon-gu, with a focus on foreign workers). The final list will be confirmed in July, and authorizations signed by the end of the year. Other regions might follow.

Anyway, "Sweet Home" or "Happy Housing", it still doesn't look like a little house on the Seoul prairie...


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* the other 4 are in Garak-dong and Jamsil-dong in Songpa-gu, Gongneung-dong in Nowon-gu, and Mok-dong in Yangcheon-gu