Author: Chase Kim - Yorba Linda High School
Today, half of the world’s population— just over four billion people— live in urban areas. By 2050, the United Nations estimates that this percentage will grow to 68%. This means that in the next twenty years, urban areas will have to expand to accommodate an additional 2.5 billion people. Con-structed correctly, tomorrow’s cities will be economically, ecologically, and culturally rich places in which to live. Constructed incorrectly, cities will quickly become polluted, overpopulated, and run down.
Songdo, South Korea—a 20-square-mile planned city on the Incheon waterfront—may hold several answers to achieving sustainable urban development. Its success in preserving the environment, providing affordable housing for residents, growing a vibrant local economy, and integrating AI and sensors to adapt to each day’s infrastructural needs should inspire similar growth in countries around the world.
One of Songdo’s foremost successes comes in its sustainable practices or policies that help nature to continue to thrive in the urban setting. Songdo is nearly carbon neutral, meaning that it pro-duces almost none of the harmful CO2 gasses that contribute to glob-al warming, while also having the highest concentration of LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings in the world. Its apartments also deal with trash uniquely, using a system of pipes to connect homes to a central waste disposal center without the need for wasteful trucks or gas-producing landfills. For these accomplishments, Song-do was selected in 2012 to become the permanent base of the United Nations Green Climate Fund, a branch of the UN that lends money to developing nations to encourage climate change adaptation and mitigation. Songdo’s very existence on reclaimed lands also gives hope to nations like Indonesia, whose urban centers are at increasing risk of flooding from rising sea levels.
Songdo has also experienced large economic growth, particularly in its influx of foreign investment enabled by its closeness to the Port of Incheon. Home to the first American-based international high school in South Korea and the first international college, Songdo has encouraged its increasing globalization, acting as a kind of “bridge” between experience abroad and in Korea. What’s more, Songdo’s centrally-planned design has enabled its construction of fairly low-cost housing in its central business district, bringing entrepreneurs directly to the city square. In this way, Songdo’s integration of housing and market spaces—a design called “mixed-use planning”— previews a future of eco-nomically accessible cities.
Finally, Songdo has integrated AI and sensors throughout the city to most efficiently manage the city’s developed infrastructure. Thou-sands of data points on traffic, water, waste, and electricity systems inform the city’s “brain,” which autonomously makes decisions to maximize resources. Homes through “New Songdo,” around Songdo’s Central Park, even integrate smartphone apps so home-owners can control their lights, air-conditioning, and waste through the touch of a finger. This techno-logically geared design brings additional growth to Songdo’s economy, drawing tech professionals and researchers, such as at Samsung’s Songdo base, to the area.
As urban areas continue to expand around the world, they should turn to Songdo as an example of responsible urban growth. Via ecological awareness, mixed-use planning, and centrally-planned, adaptive technology, tomorrow’s cities can allow their citizens to prosper.
The Korea Daily Youth Program
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