Borrowed Past: Reexamining High-Density Housing in South Korea

South Korea has made a lot of progress in the last 6 decades; from being one of the poorest countries to having the 11th largest economy in the world. The country transformed rapidly after the Korean War and today represents one of the most technological and modern countries on earth. However, this transformation did not happen without sacrifices. The rapid economic growth and urbanization led to a shortage in housing within the cities. To accommodate the influx of new residents, traditional Korean homes, called Hanoks, were leveled, along with thousands of years of history, to make room for faceless apartment blocks that do nothing to respect and honor their culture. For decades, this approach went largely unopposed because it was seen as the fastest way to modernize. Today Koreans have woken up and realized that centuries of tradition have been destroyed in the name of progress. The housing blocks that replaced many of the traditional neighborhoods are not meeting the needs of residents. The modernity of the city has wreaked havoc on the health, happiness, life satisfaction, and sense of community found throughout the peninsula and spontaneous day-to-day social interactions are becoming increasingly rare. This thesis examines the history and design of the traditional Korean home, the Hanok, as well as successful strategies for community design with the goal of creating a housing model that meets the needs of the people and culture it is located in