Globalization and Localization are two intertwined planetary governance processes underpinning the formation of new urban and nonurban fabrics. The previous K-2 site faces the dilemma: should it be a huge theme park renovated from a brownfield, giving up its great potential of redevelopment as a new urban cluster? Or, should it leave alone the culturally and socio-politically abundant histories, and go for a generic Global City?

 

We propose an alternative and compromised solution: we should allow the globality and locality to exist simultaneously and evolve collectively on the site, thus transforming the whole area into the exemplary of Glocal City.

 

With the discovered layer of existing ecological and contextual patterns representing the “local,” and the added layer of ambitious urban agenda serving as the “global,” we proposed that the K-2 site, used to be flat and horizontally configured, being upgraded to the K3 landscape city. From “2” to “3” represents the evolution of the previous historical site to its new generation; it also stands for the transition from a 2D flat brownfield airport-scape to a 3D landscape city with abundant landforms and fluctuating buildings, constituting the urban-landscape continuum on the territory.

 

Within this thickening 3D territory, a Glocal City emerges: it celebrates the local culture and respects the on-site natural resources such as the mountainous landform on the north and the existing canal on the south; it is also global for its new smart infrastructure and the vibrant international communities. We propose five strategies for realizing such an innovative idea of building a Glocal City.

 

The “Bands”

The previous runways remain the most characterized cultural resource of the site and should be appropriately reused in the future as the continuation of the life of the K-2 airport-scape. In the proposal, the runways are divided into three productive bands—the aqua-productive, the agri-productive, and the memory-productive bands. They not only produce food and clean energy, but also produce urban recreational activities and site-related memories. The existence of The Bands reminds citizens and tourists of the history of the K-2 site and triggers new image of the K3 territory.

 

The “Veins”

Like the importance of the veins to a living organism, a robust logistic network will support healthy metabolism of the new city. The Veins is a layer of road system, light rail line, pedestrian network, greenways, dispatch and shipping center and logistical routes, which are inserted to underpin the operation of the whole city. It aims at creating a self-sustaining and low carbon footprint framework working as the veins system to reinvigorate the current brownfield.

 

The “Flows”

The construction of the Daegu International Airport in the 20th century inevitably created a giant rift between the Mt. Palgong and the Geumho River. In order to reconnect the regional mountain resource with the valuable waterfront, The Flows are designed as several green fingers, stretching out from the foothill, penetrating the site and run to the Geumho River. They collect rainstorm water and absorb flood from the new urban cluster, filtrate the water before it runs into the river, and create ecological habitats for local wildlife and natural destinations for both the citizens and tourists.

 

The “Twigs”

With the support of The Veins and The Flows, buildings are growing from the ground like the twigs of a tree, and meandering through the whole site. We avoid proposing high-rise public buildings which will block the view of the mountain, and instead suggest low to mid-rise mix-used landform buildings to embrace the landscape. Stitching the runways and the topography to provide support for all communities and urban activities, The Twigs are combinations of library, museum, opera house, office, shopping mall and others, serving as the most vibrant city hubs of the K3 territory.

 

The “Homes”

In the blueprint of the future K3 Glocal City, The Flows and The Twigs define the ecological safe areas and potential develop site respectively, with The Bands generating resources and The Veins transporting them efficiently. All of these four strategies come together to form the communities that are the homes of the future residents, in which a new style of smart life will be happening.