The idea of a “15-minute city,” in which residents can all reach work and leisure facilities within a quarter-hour walk — or cycle — of their homes, has gained significant traction among urban planners during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, a group of architects is planning an even more ambitious neighborhood in South Korea’s capital, Seoul: a 10-minute city. Dubbed “Project H1,” the development is set to transform an old industrial site into an interconnected “smart” city. Combining eight residential buildings with co-working offices and study spaces, the 125-acre district is also set to house entertainment venues, fitness centers, swimming pools and even hydroponic urban farms.
Designed by Dutch architecture firm UNStudio and backed by Hyundai Development Company (a real estate firm owned by the conglomerate behind the car maker of the same name), the neighborhood will also be completely car-free. A press release for the project claimed that “all the conveniences of the city” will be within a 10-minute walk of people’s homes.
In a statement, UNStudio co-founder Ben van Berkel said that residents’ “daily life experience” is the project’s “top priority.” “We do this through the inclusion of a rich density of uplifting, curated on-site experiences that provide an extensive range of options for how they can spend their living, working and leisure time, thereby also saving them the time needed to travel elsewhere in the city — because with time that is saved, more time is created,” he is quoted as saying.
A spokesperson for UNStudio confirmed that project has been green-lit but did not disclose when it is likely to break ground. For now, a series of CGI renderings hint at how the neighborhood will look, with public plazas, gardens, green roofs and “nature zones” connected by pedestrian walkways.