Designing the City Anew (2)
Yoon Yi-hyun turned to the next page of her materials as if she had already anticipated the question.
"So I've been thinking about alternatives. Mayor, there's a development project currently underway near the parking lot, isn't there?"
I nodded at her words.
"That's right. A private developer is pushing ahead with a mixed-use commercial complex in that area."
Yoon Yi-hyun smiled.
"What if we added a 'public contribution' clause to that developer's project? In other words, we require them to dedicate part of the building they're putting up to underground parking. The development costs would fall on the private company, and the city could solve its parking problem even as it builds the plaza."
I fell into thought. With this approach, we could secure parking without straining the budget while still creating the plaza. Leveraging a private development meant securing public space without spending a single won of city money—there was no better way to do it.
I nodded slowly and spoke.
"Good. Then let's do it this way. We'll convert the existing parking lot site into a plaza and park, and rather than cutting parking, we'll approach the private company developing nearby and ask them to build a shared underground garage within their development zone. That way, we create the plaza and park without burdening the city budget while keeping the parking capacity we have now."
I turned straight to Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo.
"When does the developer's plan go before the Urban Planning Committee?"
Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo flipped through his documents before answering.
"It should come up at the next meeting."
I nodded.
"Good. Then prepare to have Architect Yoon Yi-hyun's proposal folded into that agenda item so it gets reflected."
At that, Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo's expression stiffened slightly.
"Mayor, from the developer's standpoint this eats into their profitability, so they won't accept it easily. And there are quite a few members on the Urban Planning Committee who side with the developers. I can't promise this proposal will pass."
I answered with a smile.
"Don't worry. If the development goes ahead the way we've proposed, the hottest spot in the entire area will be the very place they're building. And negotiate so that the plaza can be named after their brand, or however else they'd like. Of course, in exchange, they'll have to shoulder part of the plaza's construction costs. ESG management and corporate social responsibility—isn't this precisely the sort of thing companies emphasize these days?"
Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo still looked reluctant, but I made a point of ignoring it and turned to Yoon Yi-hyun. She nodded with a satisfied expression.
"Now, at last, the Car-Free Street and the plaza will flow into one another naturally."
The meeting room quieted once more. The plans for the Car-Free Street, the plaza, and the park had more or less found their direction. What remained was the architecture that would surround it all.
This time I looked at Jo Min-hyuk. He was an expert who had built his career on community-anchored public architecture here in Korea. For the Car-Free Street and the plaza to do their job, the surrounding buildings would have to become more than generic commercial facilities—they would need to transform into spaces that carried the city's identity.
"We have a fairly clear picture of the Car-Free Street and the plaza now. But for those spaces to actually function, the buildings around them have to be done right. How those buildings end up being used will decide whether this project succeeds or fails."
Jo Min-hyuk nodded as he spread out the materials he had prepared.
"You're right, Mayor. No matter how fine a street or plaza we build, if the surroundings stay the same old rundown buildings, the city's atmosphere won't change much. That's why I'd like to propose a public architecture project that repurposes the buildings we already have."
"A public architecture project?"
"The old downtown is full of aging buildings, but some of them can be brought back to life. Instead of tearing them down, we renovate them and put them to work as new public spaces."
He brought up a photograph on the screen. It showed a mixed-use cultural space created from an old warehouse in Seoul—a café, an exhibition hall, and a small library under one roof, a place where people had naturally begun to gather.
"We could pursue something similar in Yeojin. Look around the area designated for the Car-Free Street and the plaza—there are plenty of abandoned warehouses and old one- and two-story buildings. We'd turn those into spaces where public facilities and commercial ones coexist."
I nodded, studying the buildings marked on the map.
"What specific uses do you have in mind?"
Jo Min-hyuk pointed at the map and walked us through it.
"First, a neighborhood library and community center that residents can use freely. There's an old two-story building here that's sitting unused, left to gather dust like a warehouse. Renovate it, and the ground floor becomes a residents' community center while the second floor becomes a small library. That alone would give residents a reason to seek out this street and plaza on their own."
I nodded as I reviewed the materials. Not just another public facility, but a space people would weave into their daily lives.
"Good. With a facility like that, foot traffic will rise on its own."
"Second, craft workshops and startup support space for young entrepreneurs."
He pointed to another building.
"The old downtown is full of buildings sitting vacant because no one will rent them. What if we leased those to young entrepreneurs—as cafés, workshops, local brand shops? The old downtown becomes a new startup district, and young people start flowing back in."
I cut in right away.
"I like it. Supporting young founders rather than just adding commercial space—that makes it all the more meaningful."
Jo Min-hyuk broke into a bright smile and went on.
"Third, a cultural arts complex that artists and local creators can actually use."
He pointed to the aging theater building.
"Yeojin is short on cultural spaces. What if we renovated this theater into a small performance venue, an exhibition space, and an independent bookstore? The more cultural activity there is, the more the area comes alive on its own."
I paused in thought for a moment. Regeneration without demolition. With this approach, we could create new space while preserving the city's history.
I turned to Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo.
"I had you identify which buildings in the old downtown could be purchased, and we're currently preparing to buy twenty of them, correct?"
Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo checked his documents quickly and answered.
"Yes, the contracts are in progress. The purchases should be finalized within a few weeks."
I turned back to Jo Min-hyuk.
"With those twenty buildings, we can create far more public space. It means we're no longer limited to what's already standing—we'll have room to plan something new as well. So draw me a good picture. If we seize this opportunity properly, Yeojin's old downtown will change completely."
Jo Min-hyuk smiled with satisfaction and nodded.
"Now we can finally put together a proper spatial composition. In that case, I'll weave the existing spaces together with the buildings we're about to purchase and draft a more fully realized project."
I nodded slowly.
"Good. Then here's how we'll proceed. Using the abandoned buildings we already have, we'll establish a neighborhood library and community center, create workshops and startup space for young entrepreneurs, and set up a cultural arts complex. We'll put the twenty buildings under purchase to active use so we can plan an even wider range of public architecture projects. And we'll carry it all out by preserving and renovating the existing structures wherever we can, keeping the city's history and identity alive."
Jo Min-hyuk smiled as if that was exactly what he'd wanted to hear.
I wore a pleased expression as I spoke.
"All three of you click with me. We've discussed the basic direction enough, so don't worry—just come back and we'll build the master plan together. Then we'll take the detailed concepts and talk them through directly with local residents. When would that be feasible?"
Kang Seo-jin answered first.
"Normally, completing the whole picture takes time, but if we adjust as we go based on what residents tell us, there's no need to have everything finished right now. So I'd say we could manage as early as next week. What about the rest of you?"
Yoon Yi-hyun and Jo Min-hyuk both nodded in agreement at the same time.
I smiled.
"Good. Then coordinate with Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo, meet once more sometime next week to iron out the details, and go straight into the residents' town hall."
With that, I brought the meeting to a close.
After they left, I stayed behind with Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo for a while and talked.
"You've brought in some excellent people, Mayor."
Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo said it with something like admiration. I was satisfied too. With them on board, it seemed we could do more than patch up the city—we could actually redesign it.
Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo asked,
"But why did you make a point of recruiting young people?"
I looked out the window and answered quietly.
"For the past few decades, our cities have focused on nothing but growth. The goal of urban planning was always infrastructure expansion and development. I won't say that way of thinking was wrong. But the situation has changed now."
I tapped the edge of the map on the desk with my finger.
"Look at the problems Yeojin is carrying right now. If we approach them the old way, we'll pour our energy into expansion and development all over again. But what matters now isn't adding more infrastructure—it's how to use the space we already have in ways that create more value. And who do you suppose is best at that?"
Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo seemed lost in thought. I went on.
"The experts in their sixties and beyond who have led urban planning until now have plenty of experience and seasoning, but they still think only in terms of 'infrastructure expansion.' Widen the roads, put up more buildings, add more apartment complexes. That's not what we need right now. So I went looking for young people—people who could redefine what a city is for, with fresh eyes."
Section Chief Cho nodded slowly.
"Put that way, it makes sense, Mayor. But there is one thing I'm curious about. Why would such promising young talents—who studied abroad in France, no less—so readily accept an offer not from Gwangseong, with its population of over a million, but from Yeojin, a city even smaller than that?"
I chuckled.
"Because they're hungry for a challenge."
Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo tilted his head.
I was the same way in my past life, you know. Until I turned forty, I dreamed that same dream too.
I smiled. Though I couldn't quite bring myself to say it out loud.
A city is not merely an arrangement of buildings and roads. It is a space steeped in the lives of the people who live within it.
And remaking a city is, in the end, about changing people's lives. A city isn't made new simply by erecting one more tall building.
I had once dreamed that dream too. But compromising with reality, bit by bit, I had ended up living a life of filling planning documents with nothing but numbers. And now these young architects—just like the me of back then—were searching for a real chance to change a city.
I looked at Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo and said,
"If we can give them a genuine chance to take on the challenge, they'll build a city far more remarkable than anything we can imagine."
Section Chief Cho Yeon-woo seemed to sink into deep thought.
I smiled.