ABSTRACT
South Korea's capital city, Seoul, owes much of its present-day urban form to policies and developments of the 1960s, specifically the second Korean Five-Year Plan that covered the years 1966 to 1970 when demand for housing and services rose exponentially in line with rapidly expanding per capita income. During those years, South Korea was ruled by a military dictatorship focused on national development based on export-led economic growth. For the Seoul Municipal Government (SMG), Green Growth translates from national policy to local action with the creation of a more liveable and healthier city as a way to improve quality of life for its citizens by repurposing existing developments and upgrading and redesigning failing infrastructure. The adoption of a Green Growth vision acknowledges the challenges posed by climate change and energy consumption. It attempts, through an integrated social approach of collaboration amongst governments, private enterprise and civil society, to identify solutions to the myriad issues faced by communities big and small.
