Planning and design strategies for sustainable low energy development in Seoul, Korea

This paper describes a component of ongoing research that deals with planning and design strategies relevant to sustainable and low energy development. In this paper the particular status of the city of Seoul in Korea is investigated and analysed. The situation that applies in the city is a combination arising from national policies, city level interpretation and local level action. Seoul is compared to several other cities and the actions being taken. Information and assessment in a number of key environmental areas is presented including water, wastes, air quality, ecology, transport, energy and the built environment. Although the built environment is an important component of low energy and sustainable design it is not the only component. The argument is advanced that support from strategic actions and planning processes is necessary to provide a wide ranging infrastructure that is required to enable the production of low energy and passive architectural solutions. Such solutions cannot and should not be isolated from other sustainability orientated actions and must be coordinated under an umbrella of policies and strategic planning; and where necessary legislation. Some of the particular initiatives in Korea are described in more detail with reference to developmental and renewal schemes.