Urban designer sees green space as antidote to social isolation

Sung Jong-Sang, dean of Seoul National University's Graduate School of Environmental Studies, speaks during Kookmin University's 662nd Thursday Special Lecture at its campus in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Kookmin University

Kookmin University held its 662nd Thursday Special Lecture at its academic conference hall Thursday afternoon, featuring Sung Jong-sang, dean of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Seoul National University, as the guest speaker.

Sung delivered a lecture titled "'Outside + Everyday Life' Is the Answer: Creating Healthy, Happy Cities Through Green Spaces," exploring the relationship between the urban environment and human wellbeing. Drawing on a range of case studies, he examined how everyday outdoor spaces shape individual happiness and social connection.

Sung said that gardens should be seen not merely as landscaping features but as “conduits and catalysts” for human connection. Citing the White House garden as an example of a space used to give children new experiences and foster relationships, he said such places can serve as settings for human encounters and personal growth rather than as ends in themselves.

Apartment landscaping must go beyond aesthetics to become a catalyst for community life, Sung said, arguing that urban greenery should be treated as a tool for fostering interaction and improving collective well-being.

Drawing a sharp contrast with cities abroad, he noted that while parkgoers in China freely gather to dance and socialize, similar activity in Korea is often constrained by regulations and a culture of noise complaints. He warned that as smartphones and the internet erode face-to-face contact, modern cities risk becoming “spaces of disconnection.” Physical barriers such as retaining walls, fences and gates, he added, further sever ties between people and nature while deepening social isolation and undermining public health.

The shortage of accessible outdoor space is compounded, he said, by the growing commercialization of the public realm. Sung pointed to widening “spatial inequality,” saying children and adolescents in particular have fewer free spaces in which to gather.

“The most important factor in human happiness is the strength of our relationships,” Sung said, adding that cities should be designed to facilitate those connections. In an era of information overload, he called for a return to balance through meaningful encounters with nature and the outside world.

Kookmin University’s Thursday Special Lecture series has become a fixture of Korean academia for three decades. It has hosted about 670 figures from politics, science and the arts, including the late President Roh Moo-hyun, Cardinal Kim Soo-hwan and filmmaker Park Chan-wook.