Developing pedestrian cities: The contribution of land readjustment projects to street vitality in Seoul, South Korea

Abstract

This study focuses on the relationship between the type of urban development and street vitality. It empirically analyzes how Land Readjustment (LR) and Housing Site Development (HSD) have generated different outcomes in the pedestrian volume in Seoul. LR is one of the most common urban development techniques in the world, and HSD has been predominant in developing new urban areas in South Korea since the 1980s. The results of an empirical analysis with 9588 pedestrian volume survey sites revealed that the LR areas had smaller blocks and lots, like those advocated by Jacobs (1961), and greater pedestrian volume compared to the sites developed by HSD that has created modernism built environments. Findings illustrate that LR has not only produced the desired design, density, and diversity for pedestrian volume but also possibly contributed to promoting street vitality. The development type for sites should be considered an important factor that will create urban tissues and vitality in the future.