ABSTRACT
Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, with a population of over 10 million as of 2014, has experienced unprecedented development in terms of economy and urban environment for the past few decades. The city of Seoul has been at the forefront of Asian urban innovation. It has pursued increased livability through a variety of collective efforts.
This chapter discusses how people living in South Korea define livable and how they view the livability of Seoul. It also examines a key official policy trying to reach livability, Village Community Building. The Village Community Building has been a major urban policy and movement of Seoul since 2012, which is mainly led by residents and advocates for the autonomy of community and participatory planning.
A brief profile of Seoul is given, including demographics, economy, urban history, and current issues. Second, livability, in the context of Korea, is explored through livability index and metrics and also by perspectives of different groups of people, e.g., age and marital status. Third, an official policy for creating livable Seoul, the Village Community Building, is explained and evaluated by analyzing data, policy reports, and articles.
