electro^plankton: Utopia a.k.a Songdo City

October 5, 2005

Utopia a.k.a Songdo City

Songdo 01

This is why this century belongs to Asia (GO ASIANS!). South Korea is building a new city, from the ground up called New Songdo City. It will be a living experiment where all major information systems (residential, medical, business and government) share data and computers are to be built into homes, buildings and streets everywhere.

This ubiquitous city will be completed in 2014. The city's infrastructure will be a test bed for new technologies and the city itself will exemplify a digital way of life. It will be the future right here in the present. It all starts with a resident's "smart-card house key". The same key can be used to get on mass transit, park, see a movie, borrow a free public bicycle and so on. It's all anonymous and autonomous. City and urban planning also applies the latest theories in urban development. This is an opportunity to finally test which theories work and which don't; with the hopes that what does work can be applied to metropolises around the world. The city will be "green", clean air, clean transportation and will be equipped with the latest wireless and communications technologies.

Ironically, much of the technology going into New Songdo City was developed right here in the U.S. but the cost and regulatory obstacles prevent such a city from ever being built here.

This reminds me of the futuristic city of Brasilia that ultimately failed although much of the fantastic architecture still stands. If anything, the Koreans will know before anyone else what flies. I applaud the Koreans and 2014 just seems so damn far away now.

more pictures after the jump

Songdo 02-1
Songdo 03-1