Towards ubiquitous city: concept, planning, and experiences in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

The rapid development of information and communication technologies had a significant effect on contemporary urban and regional planning. Ever since Mitchell (1999) envisaged a vision of ‘E-topia’, a development of robust delivery system for the digital network into knowledge-based urban development has been rigorously challenged. Information and communication technologies are evolving cities from virtual city, which reproduces urban elements inside the virtual computer world, to ubiquitous city, where the ubiquitous computing amongst urban elements such as people, buildings, infrastructure and urban space is available. Nevertheless a strategic ubiquitous city planning is yet to be addressed in an integrated manner by planners and regional analysts because the technologies and applications still need to be fully developed. The Republic of Korea has recently had some experience in developing the ubiquitous city concept and planning principals as a means of knowledge-based urban development. This chapter introduces key ubiquitous technologies, and discusses implications of the ubiquitous city concept into planning and design schemes for knowledge-based urban development in the Republic of Korea.