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The BBC says Songdo is Utopia
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eamo



Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oldtrafford wrote:
Aint going to happen Maclean, the only thing that's going to happen is thy blood pressure is going to hit the roof. I'll take litter and spitting any day of the week over two a penny smack heads, chavs, street muggers, graffiti, council housing estates, violent crime, moral decay, people spending a life time never working because it's their RIGHT and a racial melting pot. Oh, and I forgot to mention political correctness. Korea's ills somehow pale in to significance when compairing to what was once Great Britian!!


I was thinking this too.......the social ills of Korea have much less impact on my life than the kind of social ills we have back home.
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oldtrafford



Joined: 12 Jan 2011

PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Too right mate!!
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BoholDiver



Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have littered in my life but certainly not many times. I was taught it was wrong.

The few times I have littered, I almost feel bad, even if it in the garbage heap that is Korea. I try to be sneaky about it.

The people I see littering here do it without even a second thought. The cellophane off the top of the cigarette package, cigarette butts, ice cream pop sticks, and triange kimbap wrappers. This city and a lot of this country truly are poop-pits and very ugly.
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alwaysbeclosing100



Joined: 07 Feb 2009

PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:39 pm    Post subject: re Reply with quote

my friend with a large global investment bank in korea who works with real estate says songdo is a failure.........the incheon global fair was also a failure though partially due to h1n1. i used to work part of the time in songdo. arts center incheon is an average place to live in korea. old songdo is a below average place to live. if you like high rise living new songdo is an ok place to live but there is very little to do there. i recommend having a car if you live there. the water off the coast near songdo is disgusting and the mosquitos in the warm weather are terrible b/c they built a new city on top of a swamp.

there are a few buildings and bridges with very unique architecture in new songdo....that is the best i can say for it.........there is supposed to be a new jack nicklaus golf course near completion or just completed in songdo.........the flies there must be terrible because it is surrounded by a swamp.


Last edited by alwaysbeclosing100 on Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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david218533



Joined: 02 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I live quite close to the new Songdo city, probably 10min subway ride into the center... The place looks really new and clean and the jimjilbang is quite big there! But....

There are a couple of unfinished building projects that have actually ran out of budget. There are actual Korean signs that says that this project has been delayed due to "finanical reasons" taped across the boundary fence.
Anyway, my Misses told me that the Incheon govt. and the Songdo govt. is running a massive budget deficit because the FEZ isn't working that well and they aren't getting enough private investors to bump up their revenue.
I think it's from having to compete with all the other FEZ zones around Korea.
Anyway, she is just complaining because she has to pay soo much more tax as a Korean ><
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markhan



Joined: 02 Aug 2006

PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

oldtrafford wrote:
Aint going to happen Maclean, the only thing that's going to happen is thy blood pressure is going to hit the roof. I'll take litter and spitting any day of the week over two a penny smack heads, chavs, street muggers, graffiti, council housing estates, violent crime, moral decay, people spending a life time never working because it's their RIGHT and a racial melting pot. Oh, and I forgot to mention political correctness. Korea's ills somehow pale in to significance when compairing to what was once Great Britian!!


You beat me it to saying the same thing. You look at what Maclean is complaining about and it just comes off as trivial when you compare to large cities in the State. I for one absolutely hate it when some Adjussi make ungodly noise and spit on the street but from larger perspective, it is not a big deal.
Also, I don't see how Korea is "litter-prone." I lived in four countries and visited a number of cities around the world and I don't think Korea is bad when it comes to littering and especially given its dense population. In fact, you rarely see cigarette butts on Korea's street.
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atwood



Joined: 26 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Great Toad wrote:
It is not finished yet? I hope when they finish it they have some big park like the one island park in Seoul with the garden area and the path around it that compares well to the Lake area Parks of Chicago. The article did not explain how the buildings were going to be so very eco-ish though... I guess they could put solar panels on top of them and recycle the water or maybe use gutter channeled water to run the toilets? I once read about a plan to run a bicycle subway sytem where everyone used a bubble capsule to bicycle around in tubes but they never did fund it though...

I know some of the new apartments have double-paned windows and thus are advertised as green, or "eco-ish." I think that's all it takes to be considered environment-friendly.
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Crockpot2001



Joined: 01 Jul 2007

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

atwood wrote:
The Great Toad wrote:
It is not finished yet? I hope when they finish it they have some big park like the one island park in Seoul with the garden area and the path around it that compares well to the Lake area Parks of Chicago. The article did not explain how the buildings were going to be so very eco-ish though... I guess they could put solar panels on top of them and recycle the water or maybe use gutter channeled water to run the toilets? I once read about a plan to run a bicycle subway sytem where everyone used a bubble capsule to bicycle around in tubes but they never did fund it though...

I know some of the new apartments have double-paned windows and thus are advertised as green, or "eco-ish." I think that's all it takes to be considered environment-friendly.


Actually, over 300 of the buildings in the International Business District of Songdo are shooting for the US Green Building Counsel LEED certification. This covers sourcing of materials used, waste during production, available natural daylight, non-VOC materials, water use, energy use during lifecycle, access to public transport, waste dispososal, and many, many more points. Tracking of these points is exactly why my wife and I are here.
There are however, other new cities in Korea that are claiming to be "green". None of these cities are using any internationally recognized measurement systems. The Korean use of the term green is pretty much a joke and used as a sales and marketing ploy to eager consumers. We've seen buildings in Bucheon painted green and called a green building. OK, I guess it is. This misuse is not limited to Korea.
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blm



Joined: 11 Nov 2010

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MacLean wrote:
But all joking aside, it is truly an opportunity to do things properly from the very beginning. All it takes is willpower on the behalf of the city council, and a police force not afraid to do its job. This would mean retraining police officers in how to do their job. Driving around all day at ten kilometres per hour with your lights flashing, while ignoring every infraction you see, does not constitute policing. A police oversight body would be set up to monitor the police to ensure that they're actually doing their job. If they're caught not enforcing laws, they get fired. After a few pink slips I'm sure they'll develop a different attitude toward the virtues of law and order. It's really that simple.




I prefer Korean police the way they are and am glad they dont over enforce trivial laws.
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eamo



Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

blm wrote:
MacLean wrote:
But all joking aside, it is truly an opportunity to do things properly from the very beginning. All it takes is willpower on the behalf of the city council, and a police force not afraid to do its job. This would mean retraining police officers in how to do their job. Driving around all day at ten kilometres per hour with your lights flashing, while ignoring every infraction you see, does not constitute policing. A police oversight body would be set up to monitor the police to ensure that they're actually doing their job. If they're caught not enforcing laws, they get fired. After a few pink slips I'm sure they'll develop a different attitude toward the virtues of law and order. It's really that simple.




I prefer Korean police the way they are and am glad they dont over enforce trivial laws.


..........until you get hit by a bus on a crosswalk because the driver has run a red light for the 37th time that day.
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chungbukdo



Joined: 22 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

eamo wrote:


I was thinking this too.......the social ills of Korea have much less impact on my life than the kind of social ills we have back home.


You might change your opinion if you're run over and dead or your children are mowed down by a city bus.

Worst traffic death rate in the OECD. The way people drive here can't even be chalked up to ignorance... in my opinion they're basically murderers half the time.

It may sound trivial but look at what we're most likely to die from at our current ages. Traffic accidents should be in the top 2. And the reason why this country has such a high mortality rate is in part due to vehicle-pedestrian accidents, where a vehicle hits a pedestrian rather than another vehicle. So even if we don't drive we're not safe.


Last edited by chungbukdo on Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:51 am; edited 1 time in total
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minos



Joined: 01 Dec 2010
Location: kOREA

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MacLean wrote:
But all joking aside, it is truly an opportunity to do things properly from the very beginning. All it takes is willpower on the behalf of the city council, and a police force not afraid to do its job. This would mean retraining police officers in how to do their job. Driving around all day at ten kilometres per hour with your lights flashing, while ignoring every infraction you see, does not constitute policing. A police oversight body would be set up to monitor the police to ensure that they're actually doing their job. If they're caught not enforcing laws, they get fired. After a few pink slips I'm sure they'll develop a different attitude toward the virtues of law and order. It's really that simple.

The city could be kept attractive, and the police department well funded, by the millions of dollars brought in each year from fines. A publicity campaign about civic pride and social responsibility would help grab some attention. The school boards would include a '�ivic pride' section in social studies class, informing students of the vulgarity of littering and spitting.

Signs could be put up near the entrances to the city that read something like this: "You are now entering (city name). Please understand that laws are strictly enforced in this jurisdiction. Violations may result in heavy fines. Enjoy your stay and smile for the camera." The Korean government could promote the city as the Korean city of the future. The media could be encouraged to compare and contrast its cleanliness and orderliness with other Korean cities. Korean pride could even be appealed to, etc. etc. etc. The potential is enormous.

Alas, old habits die hard in Korea. Confused


Alright, Judge Dredd, time to move back to Singapore.

One of the best parts of Korea is that the cops are chill and never arrest anyone. I enjoy being able to piss in an alley and drink in public while not having to worry about jail time. It's freedom in the truest sense of the word.
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chungbukdo



Joined: 22 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

blm wrote:
MacLean wrote:
But all joking aside, it is truly an opportunity to do things properly from the very beginning. All it takes is willpower on the behalf of the city council, and a police force not afraid to do its job. This would mean retraining police officers in how to do their job. Driving around all day at ten kilometres per hour with your lights flashing, while ignoring every infraction you see, does not constitute policing. A police oversight body would be set up to monitor the police to ensure that they're actually doing their job. If they're caught not enforcing laws, they get fired. After a few pink slips I'm sure they'll develop a different attitude toward the virtues of law and order. It's really that simple.




I prefer Korean police the way they are and am glad they dont over enforce trivial laws.


On the other hand, consider this perspective:

If the police enforced the laws then we would have the rule of law rather than the rule of men. Because when everything is illegal and we go about like its not, they can take you in for any reason they want.

And if laws are actually enforced and they are unjust, there is actual incentive for people to change them via the legislative system. Something that the majority of people may think is right to use may be illegal and remain in a dangerous black market rather than having the law overturned.
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BoholDiver



Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You rarely see butts? By you, you must mean me. And no, I don't rarely see them, unless rarely means about every 2 paces.

I see more ciggie butts than sidewalk.

markhan wrote:
oldtrafford wrote:
Aint going to happen Maclean, the only thing that's going to happen is thy blood pressure is going to hit the roof. I'll take litter and spitting any day of the week over two a penny smack heads, chavs, street muggers, graffiti, council housing estates, violent crime, moral decay, people spending a life time never working because it's their RIGHT and a racial melting pot. Oh, and I forgot to mention political correctness. Korea's ills somehow pale in to significance when compairing to what was once Great Britian!!


You beat me it to saying the same thing. You look at what Maclean is complaining about and it just comes off as trivial when you compare to large cities in the State. I for one absolutely hate it when some Adjussi make ungodly noise and spit on the street but from larger perspective, it is not a big deal.
Also, I don't see how Korea is "litter-prone." I lived in four countries and visited a number of cities around the world and I don't think Korea is bad when it comes to littering and especially given its dense population. In fact, you rarely see cigarette butts on Korea's street.
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alwaysbeclosing100



Joined: 07 Feb 2009

PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

chungbukdo wrote:
eamo wrote:


I was thinking this too.......the social ills of Korea have much less impact on my life than the kind of social ills we have back home.


You might change your opinion if you're run over and dead or your children are mowed down by a city bus.

Worst traffic death rate in the OECD. The way people drive here can't even be chalked up to ignorance... in my opinion they're basically murderers half the time.

It may sound trivial but look at what we're most likely to die from at our current ages. Traffic accidents should be in the top 2. And the reason why this country has such a high mortality rate is in part due to vehicle-pedestrian accidents, where a vehicle hits a pedestrian rather than another vehicle. So even if we don't drive we're not safe.


come to rural kangwondo......they drive out here like all the taxi drivers did in the 90s
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