Olympics photos: Korea

 more after the page break...

Talking about megacities

As an aside I will be mentioning some instant city and megacity issues to the students in our intro studio. You (and they) may find it interesting to read about some of the vacant instant cities that have been built but left unfilled. A few years ago National Geographic took a look at the instant cities phenomenon.

I have never visited one of the modern instant cities but I certainly have been to a megacity: Seoul. See below.

Great summer competition

Looking for something different to try this summer? How about a Korean design competition?

Seoul Urban Design 2013 is going to be a high visibility competition.  ASLA's The Dirt offers a quick overview.

Community Mapping in Seoul

As part of my visit to Seoul, I joined Dr. Wansoo Im and IMKorea in a community mapping exercise. The exercise was joined by Seoul's mayor Won-soon Park (pdf). He used both and iPhone and iPad to photograph, map, and describe places in the city where there were unnecessary challenges for people with disabilities.

Changdeokgung Palace

The highlight of the trip was my visit to the Changdeokgung Palace and its Secret Garden.  The site is deservedly designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, truly one of the great human-built sites anywhere. Throughout the site, appreciation of nature and balance of design elements were the recurring theme.

Seoul streets

 

Seolleung Park

As the burial grounds of two Joseon kings and one Joseon queen, this park is a unexpectedly nice setting for a morning walk near Seoul's Teheranno and some of the tallest buildings in the city.  Another grey day, but worth a quick peek. Especially since it is part a of collection of properties that have UNESCO World Heritage status.

Deoksugung

Deoksu Palace.A little overcast, but the palace guards bring their own sunshine.

Cheonggyecheon restored river

One of the most notable examples of modern landscape architecture is Seoul's Cheonggyecheon.  It represents the relatively new trend of trying to recover elements of lost ecology while still inserting new elements of urban design.  The NY Times reviewed this revolutionary design in 2009 and was able to take photos that were less gloomy than mine.

My personal experience was that I was surprised by the variety in experiences. There are sections that work to replicate natural processes (as much as you can in a concrete canyon).  And others that work for a modern, urban hardscape feel.  As a daylighted stream, it helps soften the 2nd largest city in the world.  And, at a reported 5km long, it leaves a noticeable footprint in the urban landscape.

More photos after the jump...

Spring is here!

To celebrate the sun's crossing of the equator, I thought I'd share my first flowery photos of the spring. These show the cherry blossoms popping out at Tongdosa, the largest temple in South Korea and truly a national treasure. These were the only cherry blossoms I saw during spring break, since Tongdosa is in southern South Korea (near Ulsan) and I spent most of the trip in Seoul.  It is one of the three jewel temples of Korea, but the only one I made it to.  And I thank my new friends from UNIST, because I never could have gotten to the rather remote site without them.

Enjoy these and keep watching for more Korean spring break photos in the coming days. 

Lots more photos of this beautiful temple after the jump...

A few extra readings on PPGIS, VGI and data sharing

After some presentations this week, I have gotten requests for more information than I was able to cover.  So here are three free and online papers that I humbly offer to continue that conversation:

• Tulloch and Shapiro on Access and Participation
• Tulloch and Harvey on Data Sharing Practices
• Tulloch on PPGIS in First Monday

So far, the audiences for these talks have been incredible.  And I hope to share a little more about this over the next few days.

Stay tuned...