R e s e a r c h A c c o m p l i s h m e n t s o v e r Past Three Decades
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Urban Planning and Policy Urban Inovation
Urban Planning and Policy
basic plans for several new towns. Currently, KRIHS is carrying out the “International Master Plan Competition for Public Administration Town,” and also makes several basic and development plans.
Third, KRIHS examines the systematic problems of urban regeneration strategies such as redevelopment, reconstruction and the new town project, and investigates policy directions and supporting plans to promote urban regeneration for the management of existing towns.
Fourth, in the field of the district unit planning or urban design, KRIHS, usually targeting new cities, implemented the planning system improvement plan, guidance for the establishment and preparation of the planning draft.
Fifth, KRIHS implemented a wide array of research concerning policy suggestions to implement the construction of the livable city, as well as the supporting plans and pilot projects for business promotion.
Finally, KRIHS implemented research related to urban economics and administration. Focused on undeveloped local cities, KRIHS investigates research to systematically and politically support urban regeneration projects, connecting to both the
physical environmental improvement and urban economic revitalization, to successfully implement and achieve the efficiency of the administration while considering the characteristics of each city.
In the future, urban research will satisfy demands about (1) the quality improvements of human settlement life space matched with high income levels and (2) the diversity of urban development followed by the establishment of local
Korea-France Joint Conference on Public Private Partnership in Urban Development Projects(1995. 12. 12)
Public Hearings on the Revision of Urban Planning Law (1995.12.19)
governments. And, research will deal with reinforcing competitive power at the city level, support projects for developing countries, and participation expansion for urban development projects. The Urban Research Division should implement the key role for the abovementioned research.
The long term urban policy been implemented since the 1970s. Most urban policies were policies based on national territorial plans to prepare for the change of the national space structure, such as the first Comprehensive National Territorial Plan (1972
~ 1981). These policies were types of national-level urban growth management policies to promote the industry at specific locations for metropolitan area growth control, the growth pole for the local area, and the promotion of the industrial cities.
In 1980s, the core of urban policies were the fast supply of urban land caused by rapid urbanization.
To solve urban area housing shortages, “The Residential Site Development Promotion Act” was established in 1980, and “The Capital Region Readjustment Planning Act” was enacted in 1982 to control the population in the Capital region, to prevent the concentration of industry, and to achieve a balanced national development. After completely reforming “The Urban Planning Act,”
“The Urban General Planning System” was introduced. In the 1990s, urban planning preparation and the enforcement right of the central government were delegated to local governments because of the resurrection of local governments system. The field of urban planning further expanded through the metropolitan region
Inaugural Assembly and Seminar of the 'u-Multi-functional Administrative City Forum'(2005. 9. 30)
Establishment Direction of Master plan on the Multi-functional Administrative City with Desirable Future City Concepts(2005. 4. 19)
plan, the introduction of the detail planning system, and the segmentation of planned units. The 1990s was also the era of considering the new solutions to the side effects of quantitative growth and the expansion-oriented development paradigm.
In 2000, “The Participatory Government”
implemented the construction plans of “Multi-functional Administrative City,” “Innovation City,”
“Company City,” and “Liveable City” to solve overpopulation and the concentration on the Capital Metropolitan Region and to reform the national economy through a balanced national development.
Urban Innovation
The government leads urbanization and urban development in Korea. However, according to the settlement of the local government system with social democratization and the raised perception of citizens as the owners of their region, urban problems can not be solved with government power only. The diversity of society has brought conflicts of mixed interests, which has caused complex urban problems.
These changes meant that policy research based on
reports or temporary interests from writing reports may not solve urban and regional problems anymore, and top-down strategies are no longer available. A better approach to solve urban problems will require continued investigation and evaluation of policies, searching for alternative plans, research satisfying citizen’s demand, research that involves citizens, and research supporting citizens to becom procative in solving problems.
The importance of the role of researchers as pure researchers, specialists, and assessors cannot be over-emphasized. However, the role of researchers to be the counselors or the communicators is also important. It is necessary for researchers to study current situations to solve current problems. If the democratization of society and improvement of citizen perception are ineluctable, the fulfillment of
‘Urban Information Network’ Homepage
the citizen and regional demand will be the role of researchers.
The Urban Innovation Center was established as the new organization in KRIHS in 2006 with previous objectives. Government and KRIHS recognized that the establishment of a comprehensive urban support organization was necessary to construct the organic cooperation system and to achieve the consistency and the comprehensiveness of each project. Moreover, KRIHS evaluated that the bottom-up approach is necessary to solve various urban problems and to lead the innovative development. The capacity reinforcement of local government and the local people is the first thing that must be done for the bottom-up approach to solve urban problems. To support this, researches for the connection between the field and the policy
will be important.
The Urban Innovation Center was established to conduct two different but connecting roles. The vision of the Urban Renovation Center, “Presenting a better social role model with the connection between the field and the policy,” expressed the objective of the center and the hope that many other government-sponsored research institutes follow this vision.
Seminar on Development Strategies of Livable City Project (2007. 7. 5)
New Paradigm of Urban Planning Study Abroad Program (2007. 10. 15~20, USA)
Selected Titles of Research Reports Urban Development in the Year 2000(1980) Planning Review System and Evaluation Criteria for City Development Plans(1982)
Comprehensive Plan for the Improvement of the Capital Region(1985)
Urban Design for Pundang and Pyongchon New Towns(1992)
A Study on the Policy of Urban Park Develop-ment and ManageDevelop-ment(1995)
A Study on the Development Density and Land Use in New Town Development(1995)
Master Plan and Feasibility Study for the Inchon International Airport Region(1996)
The 2nd Phase Urban Design Guidelines for the Ansan Newtown(1996)
Strategies for Enhancing Local Competitiveness of Large Cities(1997)
Planning and Design Guidelines for Residential Complex Development(1997)
Building up Sustainable Urban Environment(1999) A Study on the Guidelines of the City-Region Planning (1999)
Changing Urban Structure and Policy Issues in Information Society(2002)
A Study on the Revitalization of Activities and Amenities in Urban Center(2003)
Urban Planning Decision and Social Justice(2004) Urban Growth Management Policy in the Age of Slow or No Population Growth(2005)
The Making of Livable Cities in Korea(2005) New Approaches in Urban Planning System to Make a Livable City Improving the Method of Land-use Control for an Effective Land Manage-ment System(2006)
Economic Supporting Programs to Protect Valuable Open Spaces in Urban Fringe Area(2007) Marking the Livable City by Citizen Participa-tion: Case Study of Korea(2007)
Michael Douglas Professor, University of Hawaii
Over the course of its impressive history of original, evidence-based policy research, KRIHS has made solid contributions not only to Korea but also to scholars, planners and governments throughout the world. Its innovative policy initiatives reveal the impressive dynamics of Korea in ways that stimulate innovative thinking well beyond its shores.
Congratulatory Remarks on the Krihs 30thAnniversary
R e s e a r c h A c c o m p l i s h m e n t s o v e r Past Three Decades
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One nation is composed of land, people, and authority. The land where people can exercise the authority is referred to as “territory.” Many wars and much strife are caused by this idea of “territory.” According to the third article of the Constitution, the territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands, and the second article of the Basic Law for the National Territory prescribed that the territory is the settlements for the people’s life and the national resources for the future generation.
Land is the foundation to decide the economy and the social system in one country. Feudalism is the system for deciding social status with land and land as the economic foundation in one country.
Therefore, South Korea reformed the land system in 1950s as “the compensation confiscation, paid distribution,” while North Korea as “the compensationless confiscation, free distribution.”
Land, as one of the three production elements, is the foundation for economic