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SouthKoreashitechcity:Songdo|BusinessDestinationsMaketravelyourbusiness
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South Koreas
hi-tech city:
Songdo
Above: Songdo city

Above: Songdo has been a huge part of the move towards sustainable gr

South Koreas Songdo International Business District has reinvented city living
with its avant-garde infrastructure ideas; even rubbish collection in Songdo is hitech, finds Rita Lobo
Monday, December 9th, 2013 | By Rita Lobo

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Seoul,inSouthKorea,isoneofthesmartestcitiesintheworldcuttingedge
infrastructureispartofdailylife.Themetroisnotonlytheworldslongestsubway
system,butalsoboastsultrafastwifi.Thetransportnetworkismeticulously
coordinated,witharrivalanddeparturetimesdisplayedonlaserpanelsoutside
stations.Butanewdevelopment40milesoutsidetheSouthKoreancapitalisso
advancedthatSeoulappearspositivelymedievalbycomparison.TheSongdo
InternationalBusinessDistrict,constructedonanembankmentontheIncheon
waterfront,isapurposebuiltsmartcity,designedforefficiency,convenienceand
pleasantcityliving.
BuildingacityfromscratchtofulfilaspecificneedisnotanewconceptCanberra,
BrasiliaandAbujawereallbuiltinthelast60yearsasfunctionalcapitalcities.But
Songdoisunique,constructedasanintegratedhitechenvironment.Developers
describeSongdoasaglobalbusinesshubandhometoavarietyofresidential
andretaildevelopments,butatacostofover$40bnisSongdojustaglorified
modelneighbourhood?
Thesmartcityoccupies1,500acresoflandreclaimedfromtheYellowSea,
makingitthelargestprivaterealestatedevelopmentinhistory.Butitsnotthe
geographicalspacethatmakesSongdoremarkable.Thedistrictwasbuiltaspartof
formerPresidentLeeMyungbaksdrivetopromotelowcarbonandsustainable
developmentsastheprincipalavenueforgrowthinSouthKorea.
Foroverhalfacentury,thecountryseconomyhasbeendependentonexportsand
SouthKoreahasbecomeknownforitshitechindustry.Whentheglobaleconomic
crisisstruckin2007and2008,andforeigndemandforSouthKoreanproducts
slumped,thegovernmentlaunchedastimuluspackageaimedatdevelopingthe
countrysowninfrastructure,withaparticularemphasisongreeninvestments.Lee
launchedtheFrameworkActforLowCarbonGreenGrowtha$38bneconomic
stimuluspackage80percentearmarkedforgreenandsustainableinvestments.In

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SouthKoreashitechcity:Songdo|BusinessDestinationsMaketravelyourbusiness
2010theNationalAssemblyofKoreaincreasedthevalueoftheFrameworkActto
over$83.6bntobeinvestedoverfiveyears.
Songdohasbeenahugepartofthemovetowardssustainablegrowth.Thecityisa
novelmodel40percentofitsareaisdedicatedtooutdoorspaces.Seouland
otherSouthKoreanmetropolisesaredenselypopulatedwithfewopenairareasfor
residents.Songdoisunique,offeringcityhabitantssomethingtheyhaveneverhad
accesstobefore:greenspaceforleisure.Thedistricthasbeenheavilypromoting
its16milesofbicyclelanes,itscentralpark,anditswaterways,whicharebasedon
NewYorkCitysCentralParkandthecanalsofVenice,respectively.

Songdosimpressiveinfrastructure

Sustainableandbusinessfriendly
WhilesomeSouthKoreansmightbelessimpressedbythedistrictsstateoftheart
infrastructure,ithascertainlybeenasellingpointforinternationalinvestors.Songdo
isthefirstdistrictinSouthKoreatoreceiveLeadershipinEnergyandEnvironmental
Design(LEED)accreditation,andthelargestnonUSprojecttobeincludedinthe
LEEDNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPilotPlan.
Thismeanstheentiredevelopmentadherestothestrictestenvironmental
standardsforenergyconsumptionandwaste.Accordingtodevelopers,over$10bn
wasinvestedinthedesignandbuildofthe100mainbuildingsinthedistrict,
includingtheNortheastAsiaTradeTower,whichwillbeKoreastallestbuildingand
mostadvancedcorporatecentre,accordingtoSongdospromotionalmaterial.
Becausethedistrictwasbuiltfromscratchithasgivendeveloperstheopportunityto
investheavilyintechnologiesthathaveyettodebutinconventionalcities.Take
Songdossmartrubbishdisposalsystem,afuturisticbitofhardwarethatspansthe
wholecomplex.NorubbishtruckswilleverroamtheleafystreetsofSongdo,
insteadallhouseholdandofficewasteissuckedthroughanetworkofunderground
tubestovastsortingfacilitieswhereitisallprocessed,deodorisedandtreated.The
aimistoeventuallyconvertallthissortedandtreatedwasteintoenergyforthe
community,butthissystemisnotyetfullyoperational.
InmanywaysSongdoisalivingorganism.The
citysinfrastructurecontainssensorsthat
All household and
monitorandregulateeverythingfrom
temperaturetoenergyconsumptionandtraffic.
office waste is
Essentially,thecitycaninteractwithresidents
sucked through a
onaonetoonebasis.Smartgridsandmeters
arealreadyfairlycommoninEuropeandthe
network of
US,butthetechnologyinSongdoismore
pervasivethananythingintheWest.Becauseit
underground tubes
wasdesignedtothisspecificationandnot
to vast sorting
convertedlaterlikemostsmartcitiesinthe
restoftheworld,Songdoiscompletelygeared
facilities
towardssustainabilityeventhewaterpipesare
designedtostopcleanwater,suitablefor
humanconsumption,beingusedinshowers
andtoilets,andalloftheembankmentswatergoesthroughasophisticated
recyclingsystem.
EverythinginSongdomighthavebeenmeticulouslydesigned,butthereisonekey
elementthathasnotgoneaccordingtoplan.Sinceitsofficiallaunchin2009,the
sustainabledistrictremainswoefullyunderoccupied.Despiteitsenviablelocation
closetoSeoulanditsinternationalairportjust15minutesdrivingtimefrom
IncheonInternationalAirportandthreeandahalfhoursflyingtimetoathirdofthe
worldspopulationandregionalmarketssuchasChina,RussiaandJapan,reads
thebrochurelessthan20percentofthecommercialspaceinthedistricthasbeen
occupied.

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Songdoisaglobalbusinesshub

Butwherearethepeople?
Preplannedcitieshavebeenaroundforcenturies,andtheyalwaysfacethesame
challenges:howtoattractresidentsandbusinessestoanuntestedand
unpopulatedarea.Chinahasfacedthisproblemasthebuildingboomoftheearly
2000sencourageddeveloperstoinvestinnewcitiesandshoppingdistrictsthat
ultimatelyfailedtoattractbuyers.Songdoisverywellconnected,andthebusiness
facilitiesaresecondtonone,butattractinginhabitantsmaystillbeaslowerprocess
thandevelopershadhopedfor.
Inordertospeedupthepopulationprocess,developershavebeeninvesting
heavilyintopqualityinternationaleducationcentres.Thehopeistoenticeadiverse
internationalcommunity.Beforetheendof2014fouruniversitieswillinaugurate
campusesinthebusinessdistrict,includingthefirstoverseasuniversitytoopena
campusbranchinKorea,theStateUniversityofNewYork,StonyBrook,aswellas
GeorgeMasonUniversityandtheUniversityofUtah,allsponsoredatleastinpart
bytheMinistryofKnowledgeEconomy.Thereisalsoanenormousandexclusive
internationalschoolcateringtochildrenfromkindergartenallthewayuptohigh
school.

Where to shop

LOTTEShoppingTown

LOTTEShoppingTown
DesignedbystararchitectDanielLiebeskind,theLOTTEShoppingTownwillbethe
mostexclusiveshoppingdestinationinSongdowhenitinauguratedin2015.With
150shops,amultiplexcinemaandanicerink,LOTTEwillbethefocusofSongdo
sociallife.
Spreadover280,000sqm,theshoppingcentrewillcatertointernationalvisitors
andlocaltastesalike,andwillappealtoshopperslookingforluxurybutwearyof
overcrowdedSeoulmalls.Withover7,5000parkingspacesavailable,LOTTEwill
doubtlesslyattractshoppersfromalloverthecountry.
TheshoppingtownisconvenientlylocatedwithinwalkingdistanceoftheNortheast
AsiaTradeTowerandtheSheratonIncheonHotel,overlookingthescenicCentral

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SouthKoreashitechcity:Songdo|BusinessDestinationsMaketravelyourbusiness
Park.
SheratonIncheonHotel
Inauguratedin2009,theSheratonIncheonHotelhasstunningviewsoverCentral
Park,andiswithinwalkingdistanceofmostofSongdostopbusinessspotslikethe
SongdoConvensiaConventionCentre,theNortheastAsiaTradeTowerand
RiverstoneMall.
Aswellas321roomsandsuites,thehotelhostsfourrestaurants,twobars,ahealth
clubandaspa.Inaddition,clubroomandsuiteguestshaveaccesstotheSheraton
ClubLounge,completewithtelevisionsandofficespace.
TheSheratonIncheonHotelembodiesSongdosecofriendlyvaluesandisKoreas
firstfullynonsmoking,LEEDcertifiedhotel.ItalsoappealstoSongdosbusiness
visitorswith16meetingvenues,allfeaturingcomplimentaryhighspeedinternet
access.

What to see

SongdosCentralPark

CentralPark
Openedin2009,andinspiredbyNewYorkseponymouspark,SongdosCentral
Parkisthecentrepieceofthedistrictsgreenspace.Locatedinthecitycentreand
surroundedbystrikingarchitectureincludingtheNorthEastAsiaTradeTower,the
parkis4.2millionsquarefeetofvegetation,lakesandcanals.Visitorscantakea
leisurelywatertaxiaroundthenetworkofseawatercanalsthatcrisscrossthepark.
CentralParkhasbeenenvisionedasabeautifulplaceofrefuge,inspirationand
relaxationintheheartofthecityanditwillcertainlybecomeoneofthefocalpoints
oflifeinSongdo.Residentsandvisitorsarealreadyenjoyingthebenefitsofan
urbangreenareaofthismagnitude.
IFEZSongdoArtsCentre
OpeninginMarch2015,thismultipurposecentreticksalltheboxeswhenitcomes
toculture:challengingandmodernarchitecturaldesign,amusicandadesign
school,acontemporaryartmuseum,aswellasaconcerthallandoperahouse.
TheIFEZArtsCentrewillbeSongdosonestopshopforartsandentertainment
andwillhouseoutpostsoftheAsiaPhilharmonicOrchestraandAsiaOpera
Company.Designedtoappealtothemostdiscerningpublic,thecomplexisonthe
edgeofIncheonLakeandwillofferalmostonemillionsquarefeetofcultureand
leisurefacilities.ThereisnodoubtthatIFEZwillquicklybecomeahubforculture,
notjustinSongdo,butinthewholeofSouthKorea.

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SouthKoreashitechcity:Songdo|BusinessDestinationsMaketravelyourbusiness

JackNicklausGolfClub

JackNicklausGolfClub
GolfcoursepowerhouseNicklausDesignisbehindthis18hole,championshipgolf
course.LocatedonthesoutheasternextremityofSongdo,itisoneofonly25Jack
NicklausSignatureGolfCoursesintheworld.Completewithalakeandaluxurious
clubhouse,theclubwillbethemostexclusivedestinationinthearea,withonly250
fullmembershipsand250weekdaymembershipsupforgrabs.Thecourseplays
over7,300m,withmultipleteesandstrategyoptions,makingitaccessiblefor
golfersofalllevelsofability.Fortheuninitiated,theclubhousefeaturesachoiceof
restaurants,abarandlounge,fitnessandswimmingfacilities,andevenaspa.
Dottedaroundtheclubcomplexarealso179exclusivevillas.

Where to meet
SongdoConvensiaCentre
Opensince2008,SongdoConvensiaisthelargestcolumnfreestructureinAsia
andhasalreadyachievedlandmarkstatus.DonatedtotheCityofIncheonbyGale
InternationalandPOSCOE&CandmanagedbyIncheonTourismOrganisation,
SongdoConvensiaispopularwithinternationalconferences,tradeshowsand
meetings,andhasevenbecomeatrendyfilminglocationforcommercialsand
musicvideosthankstoitsstrikingmirroredsurfaces,reminiscentofSydneyOpera
House.The34acresiteincludestwoexhibitionhalls,23conferenceroomsand
threeballrooms.Supportfacilitiesincludewirelessinternet,RFIDcardsystems,
voicerecognitioncameras,andinterpretationineightlanguages.
GatewayCentre
Songdosforemostofficecomplex,theGatewayCentrehasalreadybecomeoneof
thedistrictsmosticonicsites.Thefivetowersfeaturecurvedglasssurfaces,giving
theimpressionthebuildingsaremadeofglasswaves.DesignedbyKlingStubbins,
thecomplexisamongthemostinnovativeinallofSongdo.Eachofthefivetowers
hasarooftopgarden,whichwillofferoccupantsimpressiveviewsofthedramatic
Songdoskyline,fromnearbyCentralParkouttotheYellowSea.GatewayCentre,
alongwithInternationalPlaza,willformtheheartofthecityscommercialdistrict.
Thecomplexoccupiesthreecityblocksandfeaturesa3,480cargaragetocaterfor
itsmanybusinessvisitors.
InternationalBusinessSquare
Songdosofficialcommercialhub,TheInternationalBusinessSquarewas
inauguratedin2011,andhasquicklybecomeadestinationformultinational
corporations.Itislocatedatthecruxofthebusinessdistrictandwitheasyaccessto
IncheonInternationalAirportandSeoul,thestrikingtowerboastsover4.5million
squaremetresofbusinessspaceforcommercialprojects.TheInternational
BusinessSquareisoneofthetallestandmostdistinguishedskyscrapersandit
dominatestheSongdoSkyline.Thebuildingissettobecomeoneofthemost
soughtafterofficefacilitiesintheregionbecauseofitslocationandcuttingedge
design,aswellasitsflexibleleasingandrentingopportunities.
AndwhileSongdoisnotyetahitwiththeinternationalbusinesscommunity,young
professionalshaveflockedtoitsleafyboulevardslookingforabetterlifestylethan
thehecticstreetsofSeoulcanoffer.Thedistrictoffersover22,500newhousing
unitsbuilttodifferentspecificationsfromgardenhousestosleekhighrisesall
connectedtothedistrictsenergy,waterandwastefacilities.
Butbusinessesmaysoonfollow,attractedbytheskilledworkforceprovidedbythe
universities,theyoungprofessionals,thesustainabilitycredentialsandthetax
breaks.Itstheoccupantswhomakeacity,JonathanThorpe,CIOofGale
International,theAmericandeveloperbehindSongdotoldtheBBC.Youretryingto
createadiversityandavitalitythatorganicdevelopmentcreates,inandofitself,he
explained.So,itsachallengetotryandreplicatethatinamasterplansetting.At
thesametime,withamasterplanyouhavetheabilitytosizetheinfrastructureto

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makesurethecityworksnowandin50yearstime.
AndthebrainsbehindSongdohavethoughtcarefullyaboutincentivesfor
businesses.Companiesrelocatingtothedistrictwillhaveaccesstotaxreductions,
estatesupportandsubsidies.Nopropertytaxwillbeleviedfortenyears,followed
bythreeyearswherebusinessesneedonlypay50percentoftaxesduesmalland
mediumcompanieswillalsobeconsideredforrentreductionandemployeesof
companieswithovera30percentinternationalinvestmentwillbeabletoclaima
varietyofperksfromlocationsubsidiestopromotionresultscompensation.
ForSouthKorea,Songdoismorethanahitechbusinessdistrict,itisalsoa
templateforfuturedevelopments.Itistheprototypeforthegreeninvestmentthe
governmentwantstobuildtheeconomyoninthefuture.Itisalldesignedtoappeal
toforeigninvestors,butitsmanicuredgardensandglassytowersalsogiveitan
unmistakableairofluxury.ThisistheaspirationalSouthKoreawhereeveryoneis
wealthyandyourmobilephonecontrolsthetemperatureinyourapartment.Songdo
isthecityofthefutureallthatismissingaretheresidents.

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Jointhediscussion
Simon 2yearsago

TheinfrastructureimageisNOToneofSongdobutlikelyofthe
highwaysthathugtheHanRiverthatflowsthroughSeoul.
1

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CURRENT ISSUE

Seollul
Seoul
January31
Seollul,orLunarNewYears
Day,isoneofSouthKoreas
biggestnationalholidaysand
celebrationsusuallygoonfor
threedays.Themorning
beginswithanancestralrite,
offeringfoodsandsaying
prayerstogether.Everyone
thenenjoystteokguk(ricecake
soup),beforeplayinggames
andgivinggifts.

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