CONVERGENCE in DIVERGENCE - School of Architecture - The ...

Convergence in Divergence: Contemporary Challenges in East Asian Architectural Studies2012 International Conference on East Asian Architectural Culture, Hong KongFrom “Hanoak” to “A-pa-tu”. Korean Urbanism in the XXth CenturyNew Forms of Growth: The Re-urbanization of the Central Districts of TokyoPERNICE, RaffaelePOMPILI, MarcoLecturer, Xian Jiao-tong - Liverpool University, ChinaLecturer, University of New South Wales, AustraliaTheme 4ABSTRACTKorea’s impressive process of fast modernization and urbanization and the consequent radical reshapingof its traditional urban fabric and urban network of cities in a span of just 50 years during the lastcentury have gained the country the definition of “Republic of Apartments”, with the capital Seoul praisedas an efficient model of “Giant-Radiant-City”. During the second half of the XXth century constructiontechnologies, design elements and planning schemes, taken and adapted from the discourse ofarchitecture and urbanism proposed during the XXth century by the most advanced nations, notablyJapan and Europe, have achieved successful results. This fast process of economic development and rapidurbanization have promoted the formation of an entire new model of urban life and social transformationwhich have stimulated the design of an urban environment which has been mostly localized either inthe large urban metropolitan areas of Seoul and those of Daegu, Ulsan, Busan, or in several new townswhich served as response to many problems (social, economic, political) mainly caused by the excessiveconcentration of functions and people in the few main conurbations of the country. This trend has beenaccompanied by the total rejection of precedents in Korean urban and architectural traditions. This paperfocuses on the striking contrast between the memory of the traditional architectural and urban elementsof Korea and the characters of the contemporary urban landscape which is essentially composed by newhigh density collective housing complexes integrated with new urban facilities and well maintained greenpublic spaces. The paper will also address several other important issues related with the developmentof contemporary Korean urbanism, such as the influence of political decision and other economic factorsover social aspects of the planning process, the relation between the plans of recent new towns aimedat the creation of a network of modern, technologically advanced and efficient multi-functional urbanclusters, designed and built to foster the formation of a larger super-urban structure in the country tobetter compete in the global economy and stimulate the national economy, and the consolidation of theKorean middle class.KEYWORDSKorean Urbanism, New Towns, High-rise, Hanoak, Korean ArchitectureABSTRACTThe significant scale of economic, political, social and cultural transformations that have taken placein Asia in the past few decades is reflected in an as much as significant series of urban phenomena. Incontrast to a process of contraction characterizing most cities in the West, Asian cities demonstrateto have developed in the early XXI century. This, however, cannot be generalized and extended to allcountries in Asia. For example, in countries such as China and Japan urban change has shown differenttendencies. While China has experienced an unprecedented urbanization resulting in remarkable urbanexpansion and transformation, in Japan dynamics that have characterized major cities since the mid 1990sseem to align with those taking place in Europe because of a peculiar phenomenon of urban “shrinkage”(P. Oswalt:2006; H. Ohno:2008). This depicts an ambivalent scenario encompassing the two extremeconditions of growth and decline. As part of a project aiming to explore the response of urbanism andarchitecture to these conditions in the context of the cities of the East Asian Region, this paper will discussthe instance of Tokyo, a city that shrinks and grows at the same time. In particular, the discussion will focuson the urban and architectural forms resulting from the process of re-urbanization of the city’s centraldistricts. The paper will conclude by highlighting the underlying typological approach in the structuringand in the reconfiguration of these areas.KEYWORDSTokyo, Re-urbanization, Shrinkage, Architecture, Urban DesignArchitecture inProjection116 117