Possibility of Integrated Planning for Parks, Greenbelts and Street Space in South Korea

Site overviews

The research site is the Public Housing District ‘Wangsuk 2’ in Namyangju City, near Seoul City, currently being developed as a 3rd Phase New Town following the government’s 2018 policy to expand the housing supply in the Seoul metropolitan area. Given that public housing districts aim to provide comfortable living environments for the public, it is necessary to conduct various studies to improve the level of housing. Since new towns are planned and artificially constructed, they are suitable for systematically analyzing street space, parks, and greenbelts. Furthermore, as the district plans to incorporate parks and linear greenbelts along its road network, it will be significant to propose ways to expand these spaces using street space.

Geographically, Wangsuk 2 is located northeast of Seoul, about 3km from the city’s boundary, and connected to the Gangnam area by crossing the Han River to the south. The site’s total area is approximately 2,393,385m², and 13,878 households are expected to move in. According to the land use plan, the site consists of land designated for housing construction, commercial and mixed-use facilities, urban support facilities, schools and other facilities, parks and greenbelts, rivers, and roads. Among them, the park area is 581,829m², the greenbelt area is 115,344m², and the road area is 408,307m² (Table 1). The site is divided into four zones by a cross-shaped road at the center, with the southern zone containing a central shopping area centered around a railway station, while the other three zones are planned to have schools and parks at the center, surrounded by housing construction sites (Fig. 1).

Table 1

Land use compositions in Wangsuk 2 near Seoul City

Fig. 1

Land Use Plan for Wangsuk 2 near Seoul City.

Note: The rest of the areas not shown in the legend are commercial areas, business areas, convenience facilities areas, etc. (Source: Korea Land and Housing Corporation).

Data collection and analysis

We first analyzed the laws and systems regarding street space as well as parks and greenbelts and suggested specific plans to physically expand parks and greenbelts through simulations of green expansion using street space in a city currently in planning. In this study, ‘parks and greenbelts’ were limited to urban parks and greenbelts determined by urban management plans based on Article 30 of ｢National Land Planning and Utilization Act｣ according to the district planning of the research site, while non-statutory green spaces were excluded.

Laws and institutions

First, we analyzed ｢National Land Planning and Utilization Act｣ and ｢Special Act on Public Housing｣, which are the legal basis for the project site. Next, we analyzed ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣ and ｢Guidelines on Detailed Standards, etc. for Urban Parks and Green Areas by Type｣ that enact the establishment purpose and facility standards for parks and greenbelts. Finally, we included in the analysis ｢Road Act｣, ｢Road Traffic Act｣, ｢Rules on Road Structure and Facilities Standards, the Promotion of the Use of Bicycles Act｣, and ｢Rules on the Structure and Facility Standards of Bicycle Use Facilities｣ that specify sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and planting strips that constitute street space (Table 2). We analyzed the purpose of establishing parks, greenbelts, and street space as stipulated in the law, along with the facility installation standards and the scope of permitted activities. In particular, to verify the possibility of integrated planning for parks and greenbelts in street space, we focused on analyzing whether it is possible to exclude sidewalks and bicycle lanes when constructing roads and whether the functions of street space can be accommodated within parks and greenbelts.

Table 2

Legal bases for integration of parks, greenbelts, and street space

Parks, greenbelts, and street space

A spatial analysis of the research site was conducted based on the district plan approval completed in August 2021. First, we analyzed the area and distribution of parks and greenbelts through the land use plan and their relationship with the surrounding land use. We examined paths within parks adjacent to the street using the layout from park development plan decision. Then, in the traffic impact assessment and land use planning, we analyzed the types and arrangement of components that constitute the street space, such as sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and planting strips for street trees, as well as the width of each component and the length of the street space. The area and length of the street space were calculated using CAD program (AutoCAD, Autodesk, USA).

We identified potential issues within the site by applying the analysis of the general usage patterns of street space to the land use plan of the site and selected sections where the integrated street park plan can be applied, which is necessary for expanding parks and greenbelts and improving street space. We then quantitatively calculated the extent of parks and greenbelts that could be secured through the creation of integrated street parks and analyzed the additional secured area and its impact on the entire project district. Finally, we presented a planning direction and a cross-sectional schematic diagram for integrated street parks in a way that resolves the current issues of street space and improves the user experiences for urban residents.

Roles and functions of parks and greenbelts

To analyze the possibility of integrated planning for parks and greenbelts in street space, we examined the types, functions, and installable facilities of parks and greenbelts prescribed by ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣ and related systems. According to Article 2 of ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣, ‘urban parks’ refer to parks that are built or designated to contribute to protecting urban natural scenery and improving health, recreation, and aesthetic sentiments of citizens in urban areas. Park facilities, according to Article 2 of the same Act, include roads or plazas, landscape architecture facilities, recreation facilities, sports facilities, cultural facilities, convenience facilities, park management facilities, facilities for urban agriculture, and disaster management facilities, and the types of each facility are separately prescribed in Appendix 1 of ｢Enforcement Rules of the Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣ (Table 3).

Table 3

Park facilities and types

According to Article 15 of ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣, urban parks are subcategorized into ‘national urban parks’ designated by the State, ‘living-zone parks’ managed as a park fundamental to an urban living zone, and ‘theme parks’ built for various purposes. Living-zone parks are classified into small parks, children’s parks, and neighborhood parks. Theme parks are classified into historical parks, cultural parks, waterside parks, cemetery parks, sports parks, urban agricultural parks, disaster prevention parks, and other parks prescribed by ordinance of local governments. The purpose of park installation is shown in Table 4.

Table 4

Types of urban parks

‘Greenbelts’ are green areas according to Article 2, subparagraph 2 (6) of ｢National Land Planning and Utilization Act｣, determined to preserve or improve the natural environment in urban areas and to upgrade the urban scenery by preventing pollution or disasters. According to Article 18 of ｢Enforcement Rules of the Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣, greenbelts are subdivided according to their functions into buffer greenbelts, scenic greenbelts, and connecting greenbelts. Buffer greenbelts are created to prevent air pollution, noise, and other pollution, as well as various accidents and natural disasters. Scenic greenbelts are created to preserve and improve the civic natural environment and upgrade the urban scenery. Connecting greenbelts are linear greenbelts created to organically connect any park, river, mountain area, etc. in urban areas and furnish urban citizens with space to relax, entertain, walk, etc. (Table 5).

Table 5

Subdivision of greenbelts derived from ｢Enforcement Rules of the Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣

The installation and management standards based on the function and characteristics of greenbelts are specified in Article 18 of ｢Enforcement Rules of the Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣. When installed to block and mitigate pollution from transportation facilities in general residential areas like the research site, the green coverage rate of buffer greenbelts must be at least 80%, and the width must be at least 10m. Here, the green coverage rate refers to the ratio of the horizontal projection area of branches and leaves of plants to the total green area. Scenic greenbelts are installed to preserve the natural environment in the city or to ensure comfort and safety for the daily lives of residents. Since there are no other regulations regarding the width or green coverage rate for scenic greenbelts, they have irregular boundaries and are created in various forms compared to other types of greenbelts. Connecting greenbelts are installed to serve as symbolic green corridors or ecological paths that connect green spaces with daily living routes to forests or along rivers. They form networks linking residential areas, commercial areas, schools, and public facilities within the city, and are managed as small-scale street parks for walking and resting. Like buffer greenbelts, connecting greenbelts have standards for minimum width and green coverage rate, with a required width of at least 10m and a green coverage rate of at least 70%. Connecting greenbelts are installed in consideration of connectivity to daily traffic lines and surrounding land use and include some functions of parks such as rest, which is why they are considered the most suitable greenbelts for integrated planning of street space compared to buffer and scenic greenbelts.

The detailed installation standards for connecting greenbelts are elaborated in ｢Guidelines on Detailed Standards, etc. for Urban Parks and Green Areas by Type｣ as administrative rules. When determining the width, it is specified that the width must accommodate both pedestrians and bicycles to create connecting greenbelts that function as a greenway, ensuring green connectivity and a pleasant walking space. In the detailed planning process, it is also required to consider topographical conditions and to avoid obstructing visibility when planning vegetation so that there are no inconveniences in walking and using bicycle lanes.

According to these laws and administrative rules, connecting greenbelts serve as linear greenbelts that organically link urban parks, rivers, and mountains, serving as walking paths and leisure spaces for urban residents. Connecting greenbelts with the function of a greenway perform the dual function of providing leisure and relaxation for urban residents while also allowing the passage of pedestrians and bicycles. This shows that connecting greenbelts must be designed to fulfill multifunctional roles. Therefore, connecting greenbelts adjacent to urban parks are suitable for the integrated planning of parks and greenbelts with the street space of roads.

Sidewalks and bicycle paths in parks and greenbelts

｢Road Act｣ prescribes matters concerning road network planning, road installation standards, and management and maintenance of roads. According to Article 2 of the same Act, roads include facilities such as any roadway, sidewalk, bike lane, side road, tunnel, bridge, and overpass, as well as road appurtenances. Road appurtenance means a facility or structure installed by a road management authority to ensure convenient and safe use of a road, efficiency in road traffic, or management of a road, which includes a facility for assisting the use of a road, such as a parking lot, bus stop, or rest facility; a facility for road safety; a facility for road management; a facility for traffic control; and a facility appurtenant to a road for disaster prevention and rescue activities on the road, facility for improvement and maintenance of road conditions, including a planting strip.

Roads installed in urban areas are generally regarded as facilities to directly connect urban spaces through vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrian movement, and thus tend to consider ‘sidewalks’ for walking as an essential component. However, according to Article 54 of ｢Road Act｣, “If a road management authority finds it necessary for the safety of pedestrians and the smooth traffic flow of vehicles, it may install and manage sidewalks along a road.” ｢Road Act｣ defines sidewalks as facilities that are installed when necessary. As a result, even in traffic impact assessments, which are conducted to investigate and analyze the impact of urban development on traffic changes and safety and to establish measures for related issues, there are many cases where only roadways are planned while excluding sidewalks and bicycle lanes in public facilities such as rivers, parks, and greenbelts even where pedestrian and bicycle movement is needed.

In the case of public housing districts, Article 12 of ｢Guidelines for Business Handling of Special Act on Public Housing｣, which prescribes detailed matters necessary for business implementation, stipulates that when a public housing developer establishes a district plan and plans a park adjacent to a road, only roadways are determined as roads for urban planning facility, and bicycle lanes and sidewalks are to be installed in the park to use the land efficiently. In summary, sidewalks and bicycle lanes can be excluded from roads when planning pedestrian spaces or bicycle lanes in rivers, parks, or greenbelts adjacent to roads. Based on the above, this study limits ‘street space’ to physical space including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and planting strips that are road appurtenances and excluding roadways among ‘roads’ defined in ｢Road Act｣ planned as urban planning facilities for the movement of vehicles and people in the city.

Bicycle lanes are managed under ｢Promotion of the Use of Bicycles Act｣ for the safety and convenience of bicycle users. Article 3 of ｢Promotion of the Use of Bicycles Act｣ specifies four types of bicycle lanes as follows: ‘Bicycle-only lane’ is a bicycle lane built separately from a roadway and a sidewalk with a fence, curb, or any similar fixture, only for traffic of bicycles and personal mobilities (PMs); ‘Dual lane for traffic of bicycles and pedestrians’ is a bicycle lane divided or built separately from a roadway with a fence, curb, or any similar fixture, for traffic of bicycles, etc. (bicycles + PMs) and pedestrians; ‘Bicycle-only roadway’ is the portion of the roadway that is distinguished from motor vehicle lanes by a traffic lane, a safety sign-plate, or a road surface that mark only for traffic of bicycles, etc. (bicycles + PMs); and ‘Bicycle priority lane’ is a bicycle lane demarcated by a road surface marking on a certain section of roads and streets that has a motor vehicle traffic volume less than that prescribed by Presidential Decree, to ensure the safe traffic of both bicycles, etc. (bicycles + PMs) and motor vehicles. Article 7 of ｢Promotion of the Use of Bicycles Act｣ and Article 3 of ｢Enforcement Rules of the Promotion of the Use of Bicycles Act｣ mandate the designation and management of routes when installing bicycle lanes. According to ｢Promotion of the Use of Bicycles Act｣, routes can be designated for not only bicycle lanes installed as road facilities but also those installed in parks or along riverbanks. This indicates that bicycle lanes installed in parks and other facilities are also designated and managed as official bicycle lanes.

Related standards were examined to more specifically determine whether the functions of ‘street space’, particularly sidewalks and bicycle lanes, can be accommodated within parks and greenbelts. Notably, with the amendment of ｢Road Traffic Act｣ in December 2020, it has been specified that personal mobility (PM) can also use bicycle lanes. Therefore, it is necessary to examine whether PM is permitted to travel within parks and greenbelts. Article 49 of ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣ and Article 50 of ｢ Enforcement Decree of the Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣ specify ‘prohibited activities in urban parks, etc. (parks and greenbelts).’ Accessing places other than streets by using power units in urban parks is prohibited, but this does not apply to the act of accessing the traffic area designated by a park management agency by using such power unit as permitted by the agency, which has a weight of less than 30 kilograms and a maximum speed of less than 25 kilometers per hour. The power units specified in ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣ are equivalent to PM defined in Article 2 of ｢Road Traffic Act｣, and it can be confirmed that, according to the two Acts, the travel of PM is permitted under the management of the management agency in parks and greenbelts. In summary of ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣ and ｢Road Traffic Act｣, ‘roads’ for movement within parks are essential facilities, and PM is allowed to travel in places other than the roadway within parks and greenbelts. This also demonstrates that it is possible for street space to integrate and perform the functions of sidewalks and bicycle lanes in parks and greenbelts. Meanwhile, Article 30 of ｢Road Act｣ allows the installation of facilities for public services in a road zone up to the extent that such facilities do not diminish the utility of the road, which broadly include park facilities according to ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣ and lifetime sports facilities according to ｢Installation and Utilization of Sports Facilities Act｣. This indicates that planting strips and resting or sports facilities can be installed on roads, partially accommodating the traditional roles of parks, but these facilities are limited to supplementary facilities installed only when they do not diminish the utility of the road, and can be changed at any time to fulfill the original function of the road such as securing traffic flow or managing and operating the road.

Street space that includes sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and planting strips can be planned with a minimum width of 4.5m. Regarding the installation standards for sidewalks and bicycle lanes, Article 16 of ｢Rules on Road Structure and Facilities Standards｣ stipulates that the width of a sidewalk must be at least 2 m. However, in cases where it is not possible due to terrain or unavoidable circumstances in an existing road, it can be reduced to a minimum of 1.5 m. For bicycle lanes, Article 5 of ｢Rules on the Structure and Facility Standards of Bicycle Use Facilities｣ mandates a minimum width of 1.5 m for one lane. However, it can be reduced to 1.2 m in unavoidable cases. Estimating the width of ‘street space’ formed with sidewalks and bicycle lanes, including planting strips as road appurtenances in Article 2 of ｢Road Act｣, if we assume the width of the planting strip to be 1m, the bicycle lane width can be 1.5m per lane, and the sidewalk’s minimum effective width can be 2m; thus, street space can be planned with a minimum width of around 4.5 m.

Parks and greenbelts in Wangsuk 2

To assess the areas where the integrated planning of street spaces can be applied within the research site, we analyzed the land use plan and traffic impact assessment based on the initial district plan approval. There are a total of 15 urban parks within Wangsuk 2: 5 neighborhood parks, 1 children’s park, 3 small parks, 5 waterside parks, and 2 cultural parks. There are 24 greenbelts: 2 buffer greenbelts, 19 scenic greenbelts, and 3 connecting greenbelts. The areas of parks and greenbelts account for 24.3% and 4.8% of the total district area, respectively.

According to Article 20 of ｢Guidelines for Business Handling of Special Act on Public Housing｣, public housing districts must be planned so that the ratio of parks and greenbelts is at least 20%. When calculating the ratio of parks and greenbelts, parks and greenbelts refer to parks, greenbelts, public open spaces, rivers, detention ponds, reservoirs, plazas (limited to general plazas and scenic plazas as per Article 50 of ｢Rules on the Determination, Structure, and Installation Standards of Urban Planning Facilities｣), pedestrian-only roads (limited to those over 10m in width), and other vegetated spaces. The result of calculating the ‘ratio of parks and greenbelts’ of the research site according to ｢Guidelines for Business Handling of Special Act on Public Housing｣ shows that the area is 798,762 m², or 33.4% of the total project area, which is higher than the baseline requirement of 20%.

Neighborhood parks and cultural parks are planned for three central living zones and one central commercial zone centered around a railway station. Each zone is connected in green corridors through linear neighborhood parks (NP), connecting greenbelts (CGB), and waterside parks (WP), while scenic greenbelts (SGB) are placed along the outer areas of the district (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2

Distribution map of parks and greenbelts at Wangsuk 2 near Seoul City: NP-neighborhood park; CP-cultural park; SP-small park; WP-waterside park; BGB-buffer greenbelt; CGB-connecting greenbelt; SGB-scenic greenbelt.

Neighborhood park-05 (NP05) is a linear park with a length of 980m, adjacent to various land uses such as schools, residential complexes, and mixed-use facilities. It connects to the central parks of two living zones on both sides, such as small park-02 (SP02) and neighborhood park-03 (NP03), which serve as an important green corridor in the city and are highly accessible parks for urban residents. The total width of NP05 is 27 m, with two 2 m-wide pathways planned. The street space adjacent to NP05 includes a 1.25m-wide planting strip and a 2m-wide sidewalk, while no bicycle lanes are planned. According to the traffic impact assessment, bicycle paths are to be planned within the adjacent park, implying that one of the two planned pathways in NP05 will likely be a bicycle path. As a result, three pathways will be planned across the approximately 30 m-wide area, including NP05 and street space of road. Given that urban parks and street spaces are seen as living spaces for movement and use close to the lives of urban residents (Ji et al., 2012), it is necessary to consider improving satisfaction in moving and user experience for parks and greenbelts by integrating individual pathways, designating specific uses, and adjusting widths (Lee and Yoo, 2015).

Connecting greenbelts (CGB01, CGB02, and CGB03) are planned to be adjacent to public housing along roads. Buffer greenbelts (BGB01 and BGB02) are planned to be adjacent to multi-family housing. While buffer greenbelts and connecting greenbelts, which have installation standards for minimum width, are planned as linear strips with consistent width along roads, scenic greenbelts (SGB01 - SGB19) are planned in irregular forms at district boundaries or as narrow strips around single-family housing or traffic facilities since there are no installation standards.

Connecting greenbelts, adjacent to residential areas, are designed to serve as buffers against various environmental issues caused by roadways and to connect residential areas to central shopping districts and railway stations. Similar to NP05, bicycle paths are planned within connecting greenbelts, which is why the traffic functions of pedestrians and bicycles must be actively performed. Buffer greenbelts located on the outer roads of districts are positioned as critical green space connections linking to waterside parks and neighborhood parks, where it is necessary to install circular walking paths and facilities to allow urban residents to enjoy pleasant parks and greenbelts (Lee and Yoo, 2015). However, there are limitations in active installation of facilities since the law does not stipulate matters regarding facility installation. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, which oversees ｢Act on Urban Parks and Green Areas｣, interpreted in 2014 that minimal convenience facilities such as walking paths, security lights, and benches could be installed in buffer greenbelts depending on functional resetting of buffer greenbelts and the demand for more functions. However, most local governments still prioritize the function of buffer greenbelts as greenbelts while restricting the installation of pathways and facilities.

Street space in Wangsuk 2

The street space in Wangsuk 2 is planned in three types (Fig. 3). Type-1 consists of a planting strip, bicycle lane, and sidewalk arranged in the order of adjacency to the roadway, with the width of the planting strip being 1.25 m, bicycle lane being 1.5–2.0 m, and sidewalk being 2.0 m. Type-2 consists of a planting strip and sidewalk, with the width of the planting strip being 1.25 m and sidewalk being 2.0 m. In certain sections, this type is to plan bicycle paths in adjacent parks and greenbelts. Type-3 is either composed of only a 2.0m-wide sidewalk next to the roadway or is designed as a shared road without a separate sidewalk, which is planned for roads less than 12m wide. When diagramming the street network by street space type within the district, it can be seen that the main street spaces, excluding the side roads around single-family housing, generally include both a planting strip and a sidewalk. Most street spaces feature either bicycle lanes within the road or bicycle paths using parks and greenbelts. All bicycle lanes within the street space are planned as shared paths for bicycles, PMs, and pedestrians, with the bicycle and pedestrian areas separated by curbs. The sidewalk width follows the minimum effective width of 2 m as stipulated by relevant laws, and the bicycle lanes are planned with a minimum width of 1.5m per lane.

Fig. 3

Types of street space on the road at Wangsuk 2 near Seoul City.

There are no solid separation facilities between the sidewalk and bicycle lanes to block interactions, leading to mixed use of the space, which may lead to potential interference and collisions between pedestrians and bicycle or PM users. In fact, with the recent increase in PM usage, the frequency of PM using bicycle lanes has risen, resulting in collisions between pedestrians and PM moving quietly and at high speeds. In addition, shared PMs abandoned on sidewalks is violating pedestrian safety and the overall comfort of the street space. Moreover, street spaces require physical separation facilities such as planting strips to ensure pedestrian safety and comfort by keeping them separate from vehicles, bicycles, and PMs, but the sidewalk and bicycle lane widths in the research site have been planned according to the minimum width standards set by law as previously analyzed; thus, it is challenging to further expand these spaces. Lee and Yoo (2015) stated that the passage space strongly influences satisfaction in linear parks and that ease of passage, safety, and accessibility should be given priority.

Meanwhile, although street greenery is a crucial green network in urban spaces that helps reduce various forms of environmental pollution and provides a safe and pleasant walking environment, it does not secure sufficient width and area to fully perform its environmental and ecological functions. Street greenery is more effective in reducing temperatures when it has a multi-layered structure rather than a single-layered one. However, when the sidewalk width is less than 3m, it is challenging to adopt various planting types (Jung et al., 2015). Planting strips in street space are 1.25m wide, and the actual planting width is less than 1m, which is narrow when excluding the curb. Thus, street trees and shrubs are the only plants that can be planted, while it would be difficult to plant more dense, multi-layer plantings, such as combinations of forest trees with understory trees and shrubs or with medium and small shrubs. Regarding pedestrian satisfaction with greenbelts in street space, the most important thing is the functional aspect of eliminating all issues in walking by ensuring an adequate sidewalk width (Kim, 2022). Thus, it is necessary to consider sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and greenery in the planning process for creating a pleasant street space.

Most sidewalks are generally planned with a minimum effective sidewalk width of 2.0 m as stipulated by ｢Rules on Road Structure and Facilities Standards｣, so land use, which has a significant impact on pedestrian demand, is not properly considered or not considered again when designing actual sidewalks. This may result in sidewalks being either too narrow or too wide compared to the pedestrian demand. Byun et al. (2013), in their study on sidewalk width based on pedestrian demand analysis, suggested that sidewalks in commercial areas should be designed with a greater width than those in residential areas, as pedestrian traffic is higher in commercial areas.

The street space on the outskirts of the research site is designed as Type-1, and as found in previous studies, it is a residential area with consistently low pedestrian traffic, and no land uses such as stores or schools that would generate foot traffic along the street axis. Thus the utilization rate of the street space is expected to be low. The street spaces adjacent to CGB01, BGB02, and NP05 within the site are designed as Type-2. These spaces are located along street axes, including schools and residential-commercial complex facilities on the horizontal axis, and are on pathways leading to the railway station and central commercial areas. Therefore, these street spaces are expected to show frequent use, with high pedestrian traffic, as well as increased traffic of bicycles and PMs during specific times, such as school commute hours and rush hours. However, the pedestrian demand was not reflected since the sidewalk width is uniformly planned regardless of land use in the research site. Thus, for streets with high pedestrian frequency and density, it would be necessary to adjust the width of the street space to ensure user convenience and safety. However, the street spaces are currently planned at the legal minimum standard (2.0m width), making it difficult to adjust their width. To create a pleasant street environment, an integrated plan between the adjacent parks and greenbelts and the street space could be an effective alternative.

Design and application of Integrated street park in Wangsuk 2

Urban parks and greenbelts need to be expanded to better fulfill their environmental and ecological functions of mitigating various urban environmental issues and to meet the demands of urban residents for public green areas. In newly developed areas like Wangsuk 2, parks and greenbelts must be planned to improve accessibility and connectivity for the healthy lifestyle of urban residents. Also street space must be restructured to accommodate pedestrian traffic, pedestrian safety, and the convenience of various modes of transport such as bicycles, etc. (bikes and PMs). In South Korea, with extremely high land prices and insufficient land supply, public housing district plans need to separate street space from roads and integrate it with parks and greenbelts to design a system that accommodates the functions of both street space and parks and greenbelts.

Therefore, this study proposed a model for integrated street parks with urban parks or greenbelts and presented a conceptual design. The integrated street park model is designed to apply to both urban parks and greenbelts as urban planning facilities. First, the model aims to improve the physical infrastructure to ensure that parks and greenbelts can fulfill their environmental and ecological functions in urban areas while considering the legal standards for their development. The following are the concept or development criteria for integrated street parks to promote the use of parks and greenbelts and convenience of mobility within the city:

Next, we comparatively assessed the conceptual model of integrated street parks with the cross sections of existing street space planning (Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). As mentioned earlier, according to Article 2 of the Road Act, a road includes the roadway, sidewalk, bicycle lane, and planting strip. If the street space (sidewalk + bicycle lane + planting strip) adjacent to a park shown in Fig. 4-A is designed according to the concept of integrated street parks, it will look like Fig. 4-B. Similarly, if the street space adjacent to the greenbelt shown in Fig. 5-A is designed according to the concept of integrated street parks, it will look like Fig. 5-B. This model reduces the road area and increases the green space area in limited public housing district development by including street space ‘Type-1’ in parks or green spaces instead of roads. As a result, it will be possible to create a wider pedestrian space by integrating the existing road sidewalk with the walking path of the park. Furthermore, enhanced safety can be provided for pedestrians and bicycle/PM users by separating pedestrian spaces and bicycle lanes with a planting strip and expanding the width of bicycle lanes.

Fig. 4

Conceptual model of a street park integrated with an adjacent park: A is a cross-section of the park and road as shown in the existing design (conventional design); B is a cross-section of the park and road with the proposed model applied to the existing design.

Fig. 5

Conceptual model of a street park integrated with an adjacent greenbelt: A is a cross-section of park and road as shown in the existing design (conventional design); B is a cross-section of park and road with the proposed model applied to the existing design.

By comprehensively analyzing the urban parks, greenbelts, street spaces, and land use plan of Wangsuk 2, we derived the target sites for applying the integrated street park model based on the following criteria in terms of ensuring accessibility and connectivity of parks and greenbelts, and the usage behavior of street spaces (Lee and Yoo, 2015):

Four target sites were selected to apply the integrated street park model based on the criteria above (Fig. 6). The assessment of the previous street spaces in the existing plan and the new street spaces applying the integrated street park model is as follows. First, in the existing plan, the previous street spaces of roads in the ISP01 section were designed as Type-1 with a width of 4.75 m. This section is located on the outskirts of the city. The land use in the surrounding area is mainly parks and residential areas, so the purpose of daily movement is low. However, since it is adjacent to neighborhood parks and waterside parks, the integrated street park model was applied. Once the integrated street park is created, the parks will form a circular system, strengthening the connection between parks, rivers, and the city and improving the connectivity and usage of the parks. When applying the integrated street park model, the total length of the ISP01 section is approximately 1.3 km, and the area of parks and greenbelts is expanded by 6,199 m² in NP02, NP03, WP01, WP02, and BGB01.

Fig. 6

Four sections where the integrated street park model is applied based on the criteria in Wangsuk 2 near Seoul City: ISP01, ISP02, ISP03, and ISP04.

The previous street spaces of roads in the ISP02 section were designed as Type-2 with a width of 3.25 m. This section serves as an urban residential street where frequent movement of pedestrians and bicycles, etc. (bicycle and PM) is expected. This section needs to secure safety by expanding the width of the sidewalk and bicycle lane and physically separating them. When applying the integrated street park model, the total length of the ISP02 section is approximately 1.3 km, with the area of parks and greenbelts expanded by 4,199 m² in NP02 and NP05.

The previous street spaces of roads in the ISP03 section were designed as Type-2 with a width of 3.25 m. This section is a route from the apartment complex to the central commercial area and the railway station, integrating the street spaces of roads with NP01 and CGB01. When applying the integrated street park model, the total length of the ISP03 section is approximately 1.0 km, with the area of parks and greenbelts expanded by 3,484 m².

Lastly, the previous street spaces of roads in the ISP04 section were designed as Type-1 with a width of 4.75 m. This section is adjacent to elementary school, middle school, and kindergarten, with high pedestrian traffic during specific times due to commuting from the surrounding residential areas. Similar to ISP02, the section requires expansion of the width of the sidewalk and bicycle lane, as well as physical separation. ISP04 integrated a 10m-wide CGB02 and NP01, and the total length of the section is approximately 0.4 km, with the area of parks and greenbelts expanded by 2,019 m².

Finally, the total length of the four sections where the integrated street park model is applied is 4 km. By excluding the previous street space from road facilities and planning it as an integrated street park, the ratio of road area decreased from 17.1% to 16.4%. At the same time, the area of parks and greenbelts expanded by 15,901 m², increasing the ratio of park and greenbelt area by 0.7% from 29.1% to 29.8%.