Sustainable Cities and Korean Ecological Traditions

Abstract

There is a growing feeling that, while Western rational, scientific and technological approaches have contributed greatly to the urbanization of Korea, the undesirable consequences of this pattern of development necessitate a new, more ecologically sound approach reflecting the cultural values of Korean society. The principal aims of this paper are to improve the understanding of the relationships between environmental knowledge, awareness, and action connected with growth and development from a Korea perspective, and to suggest prospects for a new relationship between sustainability and the Korean ecological tradition. To explore this new relationship, this paper begins with a discussion of sustainability and a comparison of Western and Eastern approaches to nature and environment. Then it reviews research on the eco-city which contributed to the inclusion of environmental dimensions into urban land use planning and development. From these broad bases, it examines paradigms and movements that had an impact on the development of the eco-city concept, with particular emphasis on "sustainable development" - the most recent paradigm. It moves on to address the growing interest in the Korean ecological tradition that lies in the same context with sustainability, sustainable development, and the principles of sustainable development. This chapter also provides the reader with how the tradition has been applied at the house layout, eco-techniques and urban planning level. Finally, a brief conclusion is drawn in the final chapter.