Interviews for the documentary on the shift of korean urban development. Video: Park Jung Sin.
These small courtyards are the common space in the ironically named “mansions”. Low density housing blocks poorly built during the early seventies and needed of many improvements. These “mansions” are the first buildings to be targeted by the redevelopment agencies, because of its poor living conditions. But these small scale biodiversities, has proved an unusual source of pride for the tenants that use to live at these blocks. Due to the redevelopment process, tenants are the first to leave the area by leaving the houses into abandon and decay. But a sort of abandon is, ironically, the crucial factor to let these well sized gardens grow wild and diverse… Most of these courtyards have traditional korean pine trees, and in many of them, some common areas are cultivated with vegetables. The produce of these gardens is shared between the residents.
Several styropor containers provide enough space to to get rid of the ancient korean custom of planting vegetables as gardening. And as in Korea food is always about health, vegetables are distributed by their medicinal properties. The owner referred that due to leaking problems, he had to convert his former “rooftop garden” possible because of a thick plastic foil, into a parking area for styropor containers. This could be a solution for gardening in courtyards and rooftops that were paved to avoid leakages, the guy said. The small makeshift greenhouse serves to produce food to feed a colony of snails the onwer is breeding downstairs. He also fertilizes the plants with chinese medicins and compost produced from his daily waste of food.
The Roman Catholic Church in South Korea has seen prodigious growth in recent years, increasing its membership by 70% in the past ten years.[2] Part of this growth could be attributed to the Church’s relatively positive perception by the general public for its role in the democratization of South Korea, its active participation in various works of social welfare, and its respectful approach to interfaith relationship and matters of traditional Korean spirituality. There are now over 5.1 million Catholics in South Korea — over 10% the population. South Korea (and by extension the Catholic Church in all Korea, north and south) has the fourth largest number of saints in the Catholic Church since 1984 by nation. There are 15 dioceses including three archdioceses of Seoul, Daegu and Gwangju, and the military ordiniate. North Korean Catholic Church is ecclesiastically united with South Korea, composed of two dioceses of Pyongyang and Hamheung (suffragen to the Metropolitan of Seoul) and the only territorial abbey outside Europe, that of Dokwon. (source: wikipedia, roman catholicisn in korea)
A field trip to the Korean Land and Housing Corporation.
These future urban planners by modelling the “soon to be turn down” neighbourhoods at the city of Anyang in South Korea, are facing the big consequences that comes from a tiny making decision environment: their “enclosed” design lab at the core of the university. More pictures here.
The dead are holding the alive…
The model speaks for itself? But,how to make the model a spokesperson for the neighbourhood?
The model making day was held at the Deok Chun Market area. We visited the 7th district neighbourhood association and we invited them to take part in the construction of the model. They suggested and discussed with us the spots that should be represented in the model. They also discussed their ideas related how to develop the area following other patterns of density. After that they invited us to a small field trip in the area where they told us how the announcement of redevelopment are affecting small business in the area. We visited some shops and a recycling center, to know who and how is done the circuit of urban recycling in the area. We visited some courtyards and they referred to us the way urban farming makes ties between the tenants of mansions. We shared lunch together and they made suggestions about how the model should express the positives ways of the area to cope with cities problems, that could be replicated in a future neighbourhood.
m7red in the “play bang bang” project.
The neighbours association at the 7th district of Anyang city.
