New Town Evolution: Focusing on Seoul and London in the 1960s and 1970s

This study aims to explore the emergence of the British New Town model in 1962, analyze its application in the context of Seoul's urban growth during the 1960s and 1970s, and clarify the unique characteristics of each developmental entity. In 1963, as Seoul extended its city boundaries, the outskirts primarily comprised open fields and forests. This expansion, marked by undeveloped land, was perceived as a form of suburbanization stemming from the city center. To support this expansion and suburbanization, land readjustment projects facilitated residential land development, implementing urbanization within the framework of a new town concept. Unlike the United Kingdom, Seoul's New Town didn't start as an independent city entity from the beginning. Consequently, unlike the UK, there was no immediate need to establish a self-sufficient urban economy or enact a green belt to counter urban sprawl in Seoul. Ultimately, the New Town concept, initially conceived by the Seoul City administration in the 1960s and influenced by the UK model, became intricately linked with Seoul's expansion and was implemented in a manner distinct from its British counterpart.