Friday, October 14, 2005
Are U Ready for New Songdo? U-Life City Rises in Korea
Korea's High-Tech Utopia, Where Everything Is Observed - New York Times
Here's a fine example of planning for the future, although perhaps not a future everyone will be happy with.
Urban planning has entered a new era in South Korea: New Songdo City will be the first real "ubiquitous city." What is a ubiquitous city you ask? Well it is based on the concept of "ubiquitous computing" (some call it pervasive computing:
One key figure behind this urban experiment is of a young Korean-American, John Kim. Mr. Kim was a "design leader at Yahoo" who is now leading the U-city planning effort. The development is a joint venture between an American developer, the Gale Company, and a subsidiary of "POSCO E&C, a subsidiary of South Korea's giant steel company. It is fascinating to see the collaborative process involved here. American corporations are involved in cutting edge projects around the globe. Does it matter that this kind of project could never happen in the U.S.? The article notes that most attempts to create cities from scratch have failed, citing Brazilia as a prime example. However while New Songdo may fail as a city it will be a great testing ground for a new way of life and all of the pervasive computing that will make it possible. The Times quotes Kim as saying that
The Times reporter cites one reason why the U-life would be a hard sell in the U.S. Many Americans have a healthy fear of high tech surveillance. New Songdo will be a city in which "everything is observed" through ubiquitous computing. The issue of privacy vs. convenience and service on demand rears it's head. How much privacy are you willing to give up to be served by an automated urban landscape? And you were scared of a few cookies. . .
Here's a fine example of planning for the future, although perhaps not a future everyone will be happy with.
Urban planning has entered a new era in South Korea: New Songdo City will be the first real "ubiquitous city." What is a ubiquitous city you ask? Well it is based on the concept of "ubiquitous computing" (some call it pervasive computing:
A ubiquitous city is where all major information systems (residential, medical, business, governmental and the like) share data, and computers are built into the houses, streets and office buildings. New Songdo, located on a man-made island of nearly 1,500 acres off the Incheon coast about 40 miles from Seoul, is rising from the ground up as a U-city.New Songdo is under construction and should be completed in about ten years. It represents a major collaboration between the South Korean government and high tech corporations to plan for Korea's economic and urban future. According to Mike An, the "chief project manager of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, the government agency overseeing the project," there are some good reasons why this massive project is happening in Korea:
"Korea has gathered the world's attention with its CDMA and mobile technologies," Mr. An wrote, referring to digital cellular standards. "Now we need to prepare ourselves for the next market," which he said was radio-frequency identification, or RFID, and for U-cities. South Korea's Ministry of Information and Communication has earmarked $297 million to build an RFID research center in New Songdo.The South Korean government is supporting their economy with crucial investments in longterm research and development that will pay off not today but in preparation for the "next market" Consider this a warning for American policy makers.
One key figure behind this urban experiment is of a young Korean-American, John Kim. Mr. Kim was a "design leader at Yahoo" who is now leading the U-city planning effort. The development is a joint venture between an American developer, the Gale Company, and a subsidiary of "POSCO E&C, a subsidiary of South Korea's giant steel company. It is fascinating to see the collaborative process involved here. American corporations are involved in cutting edge projects around the globe. Does it matter that this kind of project could never happen in the U.S.? The article notes that most attempts to create cities from scratch have failed, citing Brazilia as a prime example. However while New Songdo may fail as a city it will be a great testing ground for a new way of life and all of the pervasive computing that will make it possible. The Times quotes Kim as saying that
the city's high-tech infrastructure will be a giant test bed for new technologies, and the city itself will exemplify a digital way of life, what he calls "U-life."
"U-life will become its own brand, its own lifestyle," Mr. Kim said. It all starts with a resident's smart-card house key. "The same key can be used to get on the subway, pay a parking meter, see a movie, borrow a free public bicycle and so on. It'll be anonymous, won't be linked to your identity, and if lost you can quickly cancel the card and reset your door lock."
Residents will enjoy "full videoconferencing calls between neighbors, video on demand and wireless access to their digital content and property from anywhere in Songdo," he said.
The Times reporter cites one reason why the U-life would be a hard sell in the U.S. Many Americans have a healthy fear of high tech surveillance. New Songdo will be a city in which "everything is observed" through ubiquitous computing. The issue of privacy vs. convenience and service on demand rears it's head. How much privacy are you willing to give up to be served by an automated urban landscape? And you were scared of a few cookies. . .
