대한제국 한성 도시개조사업의 재평가: 근대도시계획의 보편적 특성을 중심으로

Abstract

The city of Hansung experienced massive redevelopment in the 19th century. Although the Hansung Improvement was an urban planning project, the project has never been considered as an example of modern urban planning in Korea. This study first criticizes previous research claiming that the Hansung Improvement project was an imitation of Washington D.C.. Then, the Hansung Improvement project is reevaluated with the context of the universality of modern urban planning. As a conclusion, this study claims that the Hansung Improvement project should be considered as an example of modern urban planning in Korea, as it has much in common with other urban planning projects of the modern era. First of all, the project was designed to serve the public good. In addition, it was initiated and executed by the central and regional governments and developed through the modern legal system. The project also included a modern land expropriation process for land ownership approval. Furthermore, it oversaw the installation of modern infrastructure systems. These findings indicate that the Hansung Improvement project shares many aspects associated with modern urban planning as identified in other Western cities. Therefore, it can be reevaluated as the first example of modern urban planning of Korea.