ENG

Research

2018

Gwangju Urban Grid · 3D Analysis

From an alley to a one-kilometre urban grid: a three-dimensional study of facilities and their connections.

TYPE · YEAR

Research

2018

This study began with an observation: the alley within the site both divides spaces and connects them. The urban grid within a one-kilometre radius of the Gwangju site was examined, and surrounding facilities were quantified by character and scale to explore points of connection.

01 · A question from the alley

The alley was considered as both a spatial boundary and a connection to surrounding facilities. A sketch of the site provided the starting point for examining relationships at an urban scale.

Alley sketch · excerpt from the 2018 research panel

02 · Diagram development

The base grid develops through event areas in two directions, three-dimensional projection, facility quantification and colour coding, before comparing existing and proposed connections. The nine stages below retain the drawings and order of the week-six PDF.

Base grid

Event areas · horizontal

Event areas · vertical

Grid in 3D

Event areas in colour

Quantifying facilities

Colour by facility

Existing connections

Proposed ideal connections

03 · Reading the model in section

Sections A and B are presented alongside their cut locations, providing another view of the relationships between overlapping elements.

Sections A and B with cut locations in the 3D model

2018 · Digital Media in Design · Architectural Research. Based on the week-six statement and PDF panel.

04 · Mapping Gwangju’s urban character

The 2026 extension reads Gwangju’s urban character in plan and as a spatial graph. It retains the horizontal base and intersecting vertical grids of the 2018 study, while counting registered map objects inside the Gwangju boundary. Colour identifies the category; height indicates its relative distribution.

GWANGJU · URBAN CHARACTER

Select a category to compare its distribution. Select a bar or coloured mark to read the original counts.

The bold line marks Gwangju. The crossing planes define four analytical areas, not administrative districts.

Height / saturation = cell record count divided by that category’s maximum cell count × 100. This is not building height, and equal heights do not imply equal quantities across categories.

Approx. 1km grid · registered objects inside the boundary only · parks are counted, not measured by area · walk accessibility is not calculated.

OSM snapshot 2026.06.01 · boundary vintage 2023.07.29 · hatching denotes outside query coverage · unmarked areas do not prove facility absence. Missing records and duplicate representations may occur.

Sources: © OpenStreetMap contributors / ODbL · V-World boundary, processed GeoJSON

Classification and counts

Culture / creation: 107 registered objects · maximum cell 28

Education / learning: 665 registered objects · maximum cell 26

Daily life / care: 984 registered objects · maximum cell 36

Parks / rest: 834 registered objects · maximum cell 42

Culture: theatre, cinema, arts_centre, community_centre. Education: school, kindergarten, college, university, library. Daily life: hospital, clinic, doctors, dentist, pharmacy, social_facility, marketplace, post_office, townhall. Parks: leisure=park. Area objects use their map centre points. This is exploratory data prior to facility-level consolidation and field verification.

GWANGJU · URBAN CHARACTER

Select a category to compare its distribution. Select a bar or coloured mark to read the original counts.

The bold line marks Gwangju. The crossing planes define four analytical areas, not administrative districts.

Height / saturation = cell record count divided by that category’s maximum cell count × 100. This is not building height, and equal heights do not imply equal quantities across categories.

Approx. 1km grid · registered objects inside the boundary only · parks are counted, not measured by area · walk accessibility is not calculated.

Classification and counts

Culture / creation: 107 registered objects · maximum cell 28

Education / learning: 665 registered objects · maximum cell 26

Daily life / care: 984 registered objects · maximum cell 36

Parks / rest: 834 registered objects · maximum cell 42

GWANGJU · URBAN CHARACTER

Select a category to compare its distribution. Select a bar or coloured mark to read the original counts.

The bold line marks Gwangju. The crossing planes define four analytical areas, not administrative districts.

Height / saturation = cell record count divided by that category’s maximum cell count × 100. This is not building height, and equal heights do not imply equal quantities across categories.

Approx. 1km grid · registered objects inside the boundary only · parks are counted, not measured by area · walk accessibility is not calculated.

Classification and counts

Culture / creation: 107 registered objects · maximum cell 28

Education / learning: 665 registered objects · maximum cell 26

Daily life / care: 984 registered objects · maximum cell 36

Parks / rest: 834 registered objects · maximum cell 42

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