“Double Street” Concept Moves Seoul Toward Smarter Mobility

Seoul, South Korea, is a densely populated city with typical big-city issues — traffic, overcrowded public transportation and high levels of pollution. The city also is a world leader in public transportation. As urban areas move toward a “smarter” paradigm, it makes sense that the next iteration of the city’s transport system also be developed in concert with smart technology.

The problem: develop a sustainable mobility solution for the future of Seoul that incorporates state-of-the-art technology and efficient service and that addresses the diverse needs of commuters, children, people with disabilities and the elderly.

The answer: the “Double Street” concept, developed at the invitation of the Seoul Design Foundation by an interdisciplinary team of students and faculty from the College for Creative Studies led by Associate Professor and Chair of Transportation Design (BFA/MFA) Paul Snyder. The concept addresses Seoul’s greatest mobility issues by relieving the overcrowded subway with an efficient surface road system. The goal was to gradually transform the city’s existing streets into dedicated smart road automated networks — with minimal construction and service disruptions.

“Double Street” is a sustainable, dual-layer infrastructure combined with a fully automated vehicle system, including all-electric vehicles that operate within a connected network system. This system enables universal access and rapid shared or personal transit for all.

The most important aspects of CCS’s Mobility Lab “Double Street” concept and smart mobility design are more productive workers who spend less time commuting, healthier citizens who have more communal and green space, and more affordable living space available for growing and aging populations.

(Image Courtesy: CCS for Car Body Design)