Digital Cities of the 21th Century

Forbes said : The Pearl in Qatar or Songdo in South Korea could be your next vacation spot. If you’re looking for a new city somewhere in Northeast Asia, consider South Korea’s new Songdo International Business District. When it is completed, likely in 2014, this $35 billion project will encompass 1,500 acres and house around 65,000 residents. In addition, Songdo will have an 18-hole championship golf course, which is scheduled to host the 2012 PGA Championship Tour, an art museum, an opera house and concert hall. Already completed is the 100-acre Central Park in the middle of the city, as well as a number of residential and commercial buildings.

Songdo is not only an entirely new city, it is also an example of an “eco-city,” a term that describes the growing trend of new cities with plans focusing on sustainability, using smart technologies and strategic planning. Examples of Songdo’s sustainability plans include an extensive public transportation system and a centralized waste disposable system that uses a series of pneumatic tubes. Eco-cities like Songdo are more than just a nice idea; they are expected to yield important lessons for future human habitats. By 2050 nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in cities, according to the Population Division of the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs. As cities become home to the majority of the world’s population, Songdo and others will become important testing grounds for green technologies and new ways of city planning.

On May 13, 2010, the 66th UN ESCAP will be held in Songdo, Incheon to address the “achievements of MDGs, promote a stable and supportive financial system and green growth or environmentally sustainable economic growth through technology and financing.” This is Korea’s second time to hold this meeting since the 47th UN ESCAP in Seoul in 1991. This time about 300 delegates from 62 member nations, 100 representatives of NGOs, and around 200 people from international organizations plan to attend the conference. The ESCAP conference is going to start with a welcoming address by Korea’s Prime Minster, Chung Un-chan on May 17.

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) is one of the five commissions of UN ECOSOC and UN ESCAP has 62 members. It is the largest scale government organization pursuing to fulfill economy and society development within the area.

Located at the heart of Songdo International City, Incheon, Korea, the Songdo convention center-ConvensiA-is conceptualized as a series of folded roof planes that contain the main program areas articulated as a series of freestanding blocks, above which the curved roofs floats like a series of upturned boat hulls.

What makes Songdo ConvensiA significant is that it stands at the heart of Songdo international city where the Korean government designated it the first free economic zone in Korea. Thanks to the development project of Songdo International city, ConvensiA can be reached by a fifteen-minute ride from the Incheon International airport and six hotels with 1,790rooms will be provided at visitor’s choice. Moreover, diverse amenities including Northeast Asia Trade Tower (NEATT), Jack Nicklaus Golf Course, Central Park, Incheon Tower, museums will serve those who visit ‘Songdo ConvensiA‘.

Touring Songdo, one could not help but notice how quiet it is with virtually no cars on the roads and no one walking on the streets. But Incheon is banking on its success. Recently, the Incheon City government and Korea Post magazine, a monthly covering all aspects of diplomatic affairs in Korea, organized a trip for some 130 envoys, senior diplomatic officials and foreign correspondents. The trip had another purpose, to enjoy the first full moon of the new year, known as Daeboreum. Mayor of Incheon Ahn Sang-soo listed several of his city’s accomplishments, most notably the airport, which “won first place of the world in customer satisfaction,” the Incheon Port as a major hub for Northeast Asia and the newly completed Grand Incheon Bridge, the 5th largest suspension bridge in the world. He also mentioned as accomplishments the developments of the cities of Songdo, Yeongjong and Cheongnam in Korea’s first Free Economic Zone. “Please look forward to Incheon Metropolitan City developing itself into the top ten masterpiece cities of the world and the logistics and distribution center of the Northeast Asian region,” he said.

The diplomatic corps and members of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club are all decked out in durumagi during their visit to the Incheon Daeboreum Festival and Songo City

The 151 Incheon Tower, shown in this artistic rendition, will be the tallest twin towers soaring over 300 meters into the sky, when completed in 2015.
/ Courtesy of Incheon Metropolitan Government

Incheon is vying with Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan to become the hub of Northeast Asia., and the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) is at the core of the city’s endeavor. The crown jewel of the IFEZ is Songdo New City, western Incheon, a city aimed at accommodating foreign and domestic businesses, schools and research centers in a comfortable living environment. The first phase of the IFEZ development plan was completed in 2009 and it is now going through a five-year second stage of development. This special zone is the result of strategic thinking. About 30 percent of the world’s total population is expected to live in Northeast Asia by 2020, whose regional trade accounted for 30 percent of world trade in 2006.

“The IEFZ has finished the first stage of laying the ground work and building infrastructure. They will push to complete the second step by 2014, the year of the 17th Incheon Asian Games,” an IFEZ official said. “The ongoing second stage is laying the groundwork for turning it into the `business center of Northeast Asia.’ “To step up as a global city, we will make Songdo New City a hub of business and logistics, information technology (IT) and biotechnology, education, tourism and culture.” According to the plan, the IFEZ will accommodate 246 headquarters and branches of global firms and 13 international non-governmental organizations such as a local office of the United Nations. The theme of its urban development is “Compact, Smart and Green.”

As a compact city, everything from high-tech industries, medical services and leisure activities to housing will be in a cluster within a radius of five kilometers. “For instance, a Songdo resident can work at the Northeast Asia Trade Tower, the landmark building of the IFEZ that reaches 1,000 feet into the sky; take a walk at Songdo Central Park and give their kids a premier education at the Songdo Global Campus,” an Incheon city representative explained. As a smart city, it will have state-of-the-art information technology in the design of its infrastructure so the residents can live a truly ubiquitous life.

“During the first stage of development from 2003 to 2009, some 940 billion won of municipal tax was collected and the amount was reinvested in education, social welfare and culture for Incheon City,” the official said. It aims to nurture Songdo New City as an international business hub with a population of 430,000 by 2014, when the second phase of development plan is completed. As of 2009, some 60,000 residents and 418 companies and research centers had committed themselves to moving into Songdo or had already moved in, which would, in total, provide up to 40,000 jobs. “The IFEZ will create around 340,000 jobs from 2,800 firms and research institutes. In addition, we expect additional job creation of 800,000 during the infrastructure construction process,” the official said. Songdo New City is planning to provide a better living environment for expatriates as well. “We are planning to invite a total of 10 foreign universities, eight Korean universities, four international schools, one international hospital and 17 theaters to the area by 2014,” he added.

The largest commercial real estate venture in history

Interview with John Hynes, CEO of Gale International.

The Incheon Bridge (also called the Incheon Long Bridge) is a newly-constructed bridge in South Korea. At its opening in October 2009, it became the second connection between Yeongjong Island and the mainland of Incheon. The 12.3 kilometres (7.6 mi) long bridge has a cable stayed section over the main sea route to Incheon port. This was the most difficult part to construct, with a main tower 230.5 metres (756.2 ft) high, vertical clearance of 74 m (243 ft), and five spans: a centre span of 800 m (2,625 ft) flanked on either side by spans of 260 m (853 ft) and 80 m (262 ft). Adjacent to the center section are approach spans consisting of a series of 150 m (492 ft) balanced cantilever spans. Lower level viaducts consisting of 50 m (164 ft) spans connect to land at each end of the bridge. The bridge cost over USD$1.4 billion (~1.25 trillion Won) to build. The main purpose of the bridge is to provide direct access between Songdo and Incheon International Airport, reducing travel time between them by up to one hour.

With a commitment to sustainable design principles and the best practices of urban planning, Gale International and its partners have realized their vision for a new international city. The master plan calls for a synergistic mix of uses for Songdo IBD, from architecturally advanced office and convention space to world-class hotels. Songdo IBD is also home to a variety of residential and retail developments, offering a range of shopping, dining and entertainment experiences, as well as public and private schools and state-of-the-art health care facilities. Woven into the Songdo IBD master plan is a rich set of amenities inspired by some of the greatest cities of the world.

Songdo IBD boasts the wide boulevards of Paris, a 100-acre Central Park reminiscent of New York City, a system of pocket parks similar to those in Savannah, a modern canal system inspired by Venice and convention center architecture redolent of the famed Sydney Opera House. The cultural fabric of Songdo IBD will also be a rich one with a stunning opera house, concert hall, museum and aquarium. A Jack Nicklaus championship golf course – one of only 25 in the world – is under construction with plans already in the works for high-profile events, including a PGA Championship Tour event. These features come together to create a dynamic, vibrant world community for business professionals and their families.