The Conceptual Origins of the Rosario Plan for Seoul in 1980 : Finding the Logical Backgrounds to the Transit-Oriented Metropolis Plan

Abstract

This study aims to discover the conceptual background of the Rosario Plan for Seoul in 1980, which is known as one of the transit-oriented metropolis plans. This historical study examines all the plans, documents, and interviews that Professor Byong-Kee Kahng, who proposed the plan, participated in, and reveals the following: The Rosario Plan was proposed to solve the urban problems of Seoul at the time, which were housing shortage and automobile traffic congestion due to rapid urbanization. Kahng advocated for a decentralized spatial structure intended for the linear city and modified it to adapt to the specific circumstance. In 1977, he proposed a transformation into a ring-shaped structure connecting the ends of the linear city, and in 1980, he presented the Rosario plan, which is a more flexible form, to transform Seoul into a multinuclear spatial structure using subway stations and networks. His 1980 plan was influenced by Christopher Alexander’s semi-lattice concept to overcome the closed space structure of the ring and/or linear-shaped city. He intended to use urban design as an integrated solution for critical urban problems. This paper summarizes the historical background and conceptual basis pertaining to the historically significant plan for the further transformation and adaption of the transit-oriented plan.