Another Seoul #2: Revisioning Urban Infrastructure Along the Waterfront and Seoul Dulle-gil (Circular Trail) into a Connected Civic Leisure Network

Exhibition website
2022
Research
Exhibition
Urban Operations



WHAT

This research project investigates how Seoul’s rivers and mountains—areas traditionally excluded from urban development—can serve as new public domains within the city. By redefining these landscapes as productive urban voids, the project explores how neglected topographies can become active parts of the metropolitan fabric.
WHY

Seoul faces limited developable land and increasing development pressure. Yet, its extensive natural terrain remains underutilized. The project aims to reclaim these areas not as obstacles to growth but as opportunities for civic life, ecological restoration, and spatial equity.
HOW

The team conducted extensive field and data-based analysis of urban infrastructure, including retention ponds, drainage ditches, schools, rainwater pumping stations, and vehicle depots. These were reinterpreted as potential anchors for new architectural typologies.
WHERE / WHEN

The research was conducted across Seoul between 2019 and 2021, in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Findings were compiled into a 1,000-page report and later translated into a permanent exhibition at the Seoul Urban Architecture Exhibition Center.

RESULT

The study reframed infrastructure as civic landscape, demonstrating how rivers and mountains can function as new layers of the city’s public realm. The report and exhibition became reference materials for ongoing urban design and policy discussions on reactivating underused land in Seoul.









Minwook KangLinkedIn
CV
minwook@mit.edu
mintheworld.official@gmail.com



 


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perfect for sunrise runs.