Design Team: Emily Herr, Darius Polillio, Annabelle Sablan, Yousub Bang
Communal Corridors is an urban design and research project focused on the Apgujeong neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. During our site visit, we identified several key challenges and opportunities in the area: outdated apartment buildings from the 1970s with high rental costs, underused and poorly maintained waterfront property, and a shortage of public space due to large areas consumed by parking.
The project aims to improve accessibility to the Han River waterfront by promoting walkability and creating a network of connected spaces, including commercial and educational corridors. These interventions are designed to provide residents and visitors with meaningful public space while encouraging activity and interaction. By prioritizing areas for commerce and recreation, the proposal seeks to attract more people, increase foot traffic, and gradually reduce the dominance of vehicles, ultimately giving public space back to the Apgujeong community.
In addition, the project explores three potential approaches for redeveloping the existing apartment complexes. These range from low-rise, high-density layouts to taller, lower-density tower configurations, offering adaptable strategies for future residential reconstruction.
The Vision for Apgujeong, Seoul, South Korea
Masterplan
Overall Intervention Strategy
Proposed Commercial Boardwalk near the Han River
Proposed Commercial Corridor
Proposed Educational Corridor