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Spatial policies towards the Seoul Capital Region

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Abstract

This paper describes and evaluates the impact of spatial policies towards the Capital Region of Korea (the Seoul Capital Region hereafter). Following the introductory section, the second section presents an overview of trends of concentrations of people and employment in the Seoul Capital Region since 1960. The evolution of spatial policies and the major policy instruments employed is described together with an assessment of the validity of the perception of excessive concentration in the Region. In the third section, the impact of spatial polices towards the Seoul Capital Region is evaluated based on new empirical evidence as well as findings from previous studies. The impact of policies on the spatial distribution of jobs and populations between the Seoul Capital Region and the rest of the country, as well as that of specific policies such as green belts, and the new towns project is analyzed. The section ends with a discussion of public opinion on spatial policies revealed through recent surveys. The last section addresses the political economy of spatial policies and concludes with thoughts on the way forward considering the changing environment for spatial policies.

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Kim, KH. Spatial policies towards the Seoul Capital Region. GeoJournal 53, 17–28 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015861315375

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