Seoul is currently navigating a profound demographic transformation defined by a “Twin Shift”: the concurrent onset of a super-aged society and the normalization of single-person households. This shift has exacerbated social disconnection and generational segregation, posing a significant challenge to the city’s social fabric. This study provides a precise diagnosis of Seoul’s urban parks within this critical context, revealing a severe “supply-demand mismatch.” Despite a large inventory of parks, a significant majority (e.g., 85% of children’s parks established before 2000) remain functionally obsolete, stuck in a past paradigm focused on child-centric amenities. Consequently, these vital public assets are failing to serve the needs of new demographic majorities—namely the elderly and single-person households—thus failing to function as effective social infrastructure.
Our multi-dimensional analysis—synthesizing SKT LITMUS mobile big data, metropolitan transportation logs, a comparative case study, and a 511-citizen survey—quantifies this disconnection. The data reveals a stark “generational spatial segregation”: young adults exhibit region-wide mobility centered around a few urban hubs, while the elderly’s activity is increasingly hyper-local and confined to their immediate neighborhoods. The in-depth analysis of Eunpyeong’s Bulkwang (“stable elderly residential area”) versus Hyanglim (“rapidly growing young bedtown”) districts confirms the limitations of a one-size-fits-all park policy. Furthermore, the survey uncovers a “silent majority,” with 62.5% of residents visiting parks once a month or less. Their primary demands for park regeneration are not only a “safe and pleasant environment” (50.9%) but emphatically “spaces designed for multi-generational use” (33.7%). This finding signals an urgent mandate to move beyond simple facility renovation and to fundamentally redesign parks as spaces that actively foster natural social encounters.
Under the guiding vision of a “Green Hub of Fusion and Vitality,” this report proposes a comprehensive framework to transform parks into dynamic “community platforms” or “Social Power Plants”" that actively generate social capital. This framework is built on four integrated key strategies:
- Hardware (Space): Mandating comprehensive “Barrier-Free design” for universal accessibility for strollers, wheelchairs, and the elderly. This strategy moves beyond mere compliance to create functionally integrated spaces, such as themed, complex healing areas (e.g., the Baengnyeon Neighborhood Park model) where different generations can comfortably coexist.
- Software (Program): Activating dynamic, interactive programs that foster mutual learning and respect. Key proposals include “community gardening” and “digital bridging classes” (where youth teach seniors technology). The sustainability of these programs will be secured through a new citizen-led “Park Facilitator” system, empowering residents to participate directly in park operation.
- Smartware (Technology): Employing “inclusive technology” to enhance, not alienate. This involves developing an integrated park app and AR (Augmented Reality) docents while critically ensuring accessibility features (e.g., large fonts, voice guidance) to bridge the digital divide for seniors.
- Systemware (Operation): Establishing a sustainable Public-Private Partnership (PPP) governance model, tentatively named the “Seoul Parks Conservancy.” This entity will ensure professional management and financial diversification, utilizing KPI-based management (tracking user data by generation and program participation) to ensure accountability and long-term vitality.
To ensure feasibility and move beyond theory, this report presents concrete, tailored pilot projects grounded in the data analysis. For Gangbuk-gu, with the highest elderly population, Odong Park is proposed as a “Senior-Friendly Park for Health and Care,” featuring universal design and smart exercise equipment linked directly with local public health centers. Conversely, for Gwanak-gu, home to the highest concentration of youth and single-person households, Byeolbitnaerincheon Park is reimagined as a “Smart River Park.” This model breaks the mold of a traditional park by introducing “Smart Work/Study Zones” (with robust Wi-Fi and charging) and “shared kitchens” to support the “social dining” lifestyle of its core demographic. These specific, data-driven models provide a clear and actionable blueprint for the future of Seoul’s public spaces, shifting the paradigm from passive green shelters to active, essential social infrastructure.