Innovative Urban Futures: Smart City Strategies for Disaster Resilience in Songdo, South Korea, an Environment-Behaviour Perspective: Innovative Urban Futures: Smart City Strategies for Disaster Resilience

Reazul Ahsan; Idil Ayral

Authors

Reazul Ahsan University of Utah Asia Campus https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7238-2028
Dr Ayral University of Utah Asia Campus https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5120-4420

Keywords:

smart cities, disaster risk reduction, environment-behaviour studies, climate adaptation

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and intensifying climate hazards have increased interest in smart city technologies for disaster risk reduction (DRR). This paper examines Songdo International Business District in Incheon, South Korea, through an environment–behaviour (E–B) framework. Using qualitative thematic analysis of planning documents, literature, and observations, it finds that while smart DRR systems improve risk awareness and emergency response, their behavioural potential is constrained by top-down governance, underused public spaces, digital inequality, and ecological disconnection from tidal flat reclamation. The study proposes an E–B evaluation framework and offers recommendations for cities pursuing inclusive, adaptive resilience aligned with the Sendai Framework.

Author Biography

Dr Ayral, University of Utah Asia Campus

Idil Ayral is an Assistant Professor in the City and Metropolitan Planning Department at the University of

Utah. She holds a BArch and MSc in History of Architecture from Istanbul Technical University. Her

extensive research on Istanbul's garden kiosks has been published as a book. She completed her PhD

(Excellent Cum Laude) at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, specializing in contemporary urban

history and the transformation of public space. During her PhD, she was a member of the INVBAC research

team funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education. She has held various academic and professional

positions in Türkiye, Spain, and South Korea, contributing to education and international collaborations.

References

Albino, V., Berardi, U., & Dangelico, R. M. (2015). Smart cities: Definitions, dimensions, performance, and initiatives. Journal of Urban Technology, 22(1), 3–21

Ayral, I., & Cha, S. W. (2024). Songdo: A case study of underutilized public spaces. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 14(3), 97–104.

Batty, M., Axhausen, K. W., Giannotti, F., Pozdnoukhov, A., Bazzani, A., Wachowicz, M., Ouzounis, G., & Portugali, Y. (2012). Smart cities of the future. European Physical Journal Special Topics, 214, 481–518.

Benedikt, O. (2016). The valuable citizens of smart cities: The case of Songdo City. Graduate Journal of Social Science, 12(2), 17–36.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

Brown, B. B., & Perkins, D. D. (1992). Disruptions in place attachment. In I. Altman & S. M. Low (Eds.), Place attachment (pp. 279–304). Plenum Press.

Caragliu, A., Del Bo, C., & Nijkamp, P. (2011). Smart cities in Europe. Journal of Urban Technology, 18(2), 65–82.

Chan, F. K. S., Griffiths, J. A., Higgitt, D., Xu, S. Y., Zhu, F. F., Tang, Y. T., Xu, Y. Y., & Thorne, C. R. (2018). "Sponge City" in China—A breakthrough of planning and flood risk management in the urban context. Land Use Policy, 76, 772–778.

Colding, J., Barthel, S., Bendt, P., Snep, R., van der Knaap, W., & Ernstson, H. (2013). Urban green commons: Insights on urban common property systems. Global Environmental Change, 23(5), 1039–1051.

Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five misunderstandings about case study research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245.

Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. Houghton Mifflin.

Gifford, R. (2014). Environmental psychology matters. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 541–579.

Hollands, R. G. (2008). Will the real smart city please stand up? City, 12(3), 303–320.

Huh, J., Sonn, J. W., Zhao, Y., & Yang, S. (2024). Who built Songdo, the "world's first smart city?" Questioning technology firms' ability to lead smart city development. Eurasian Geography and Economics, 66(8), 966–983.

Kim, J., Lee, J. M., & Kang, J. (2023). Smart cities and disaster risk reduction in South Korea by 2022: The case of Daegu. Heliyon, 9(8), e18794.

Kitchin, R. (2016). The ethics of smart cities and urban science. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 374(2083), 20160115.

Kuecker, G. D. (2018). Case study 5.C: New Songdo City: A bridge to the future? In C. Rosenzweig et al. (Eds.), Climate change and cities: Second assessment report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (ARC3-2). Columbia University Academic Commons.

Lee, J.-H., Kim, I.-C., Lee, S.-W., Son, J.-J., Jang, J.-U., & Sung, H.-C. (2023). International importance of tidal flats in the Republic of Korea as shorebird stopover sites in the East Asian–Australasian flyway. Avian Conservation and Ecology, 18(1), 23.

Lee, S. K., Kwon, H. R., Cho, H. A., Kim, J., & Lee, D. (2016). International case studies of smart cities: Songdo, Republic of Korea. Inter-American Development Bank. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/International-Case-Studies-of-Smart-Cities-Songdo-Republic-of-Korea.pdf

Nisbet, E. K., Zelenski, J. M., & Murphy, S. A. (2009). The nature relatedness scale: Linking individuals' connection with nature to environmental concern and behavior. Environment and Behavior, 41(5), 715–740.

Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2013). Personally relevant climate change: The role of place attachment and local versus global message framing in engagement. Environment and Behavior, 45(1), 60–85.

Slovic, P. (2000). The perception of risk. Earthscan.

Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(3), 309–317.

United Nations. (2022). World urbanization prospects: The 2022 revision. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. (2015). Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

https://www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. (2020). Human cost of disasters: An overview of the last 20 years 2000–2019. UNDRR.

Vanolo, A. (2014). Smartness: The smart city as a disciplinary strategy. Urban Studies, 51(5), 883–898.

World Bank. (2022). Smart cities in the Republic of Korea. World Bank Group.

Yigitcanlar, T., Kamruzzaman, M., Buys, L., Ioppolo, G., Sabatini-Marques, J., da Costa, E. M., & Yun, J. J. (2019). Understanding smart city: A comparative analysis of Songdo, Masdar, Amsterdam, San Francisco and Brisbane. Land Use Policy, 90, Article 104187.

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage.

Innovative Urban Futures: Smart City Strategies for Disaster Resilience in Songdo, South Korea, an Environment-Behaviour Perspective