An Analysis of the Hierarchical-Grid Urban Structure in the Gangnam Area, Seoul

Abstract

(Background and Purpose) Owing to rapid economic growth and urban reorganization, the Gangnam area of Seoul was planned with the dual goals of industrialization and national reconstruction. Accordingly, there are conflicting goals for efficiency and habitability in Seoul’s Gangnam area. Reflecting this, the Gangnam area has a unique urban structure that applies a hierarchical road system to a uniform grid urban fabric by fusing Neighborhood Unit Theory into a grid structure. This study aimed to analyze the hierarchy and pedestrian volume of roads in the urban grid structure of Gangnam and to identify the relationship between the two. (Methods) The study was conducted as follows: First, the road hierarchy of the research site was analyzed, revealing the relationship between road hierarchy, street block hierarchy, and land use. Second, radius-3 integration in an urban block in Gangnam was conducted using space syntax. Third, a pedestrian volume survey of the roads in an urban block was conducted. Pedestrian volume measurements were performed for all arteries and collectors inside the studied urban block. Fourth, the relationship between the hierarchy of roads was analyzed in the first and second steps, and the pedestrian volume was analyzed in the third step. (Results) First, as a result of the hierarchy analysis of roads and street blocks at the research site, it was found that the urban role and connectivity of roads increased as they moved to the outskirts of the urban block, showing characteristics of centrifugality. Second, the radius-3 integration analysis using space syntax results showed that road connectivity increased toward the inside of the urban block, showing characteristics of centrality. Third, due to the actual measurement of pedestrian volume, the pedestrian volume of the outer arterial and the back road was high, and the pedestrian volume of the central part of the urban block was found to be the lowest. This finding implies that the results of the actual pedestrian volume measurement are closer to the hierarchy analysis results of roads and street blocks than those of the radius-3 integration analysis. (Conclusion) This study analyzed and demonstrated the hierarchy of roads and street blocks in urban blocks in the Gangnam area of Seoul in various ways. The urban block in Gangnam is a unique urban structure, as it has a grid shape, but at the same time, it has a road hierarchy according to Neighborhood Unit Theory. In other words, because various principles coexist, contradictory results have been found in the urban structure, depending on the type of analysis. This finding suggests that to properly understand the urban structure in Gangnam, it is necessary to cross-verify it using multi-layered analysis tools.