Sangwon Chae

The Shifting Urban Paradigm and the Politics of Alternative Urban Place-Making: a case study on Seoul, South Korea

Sangwon's doctoral study explores the political dynamics of alternative urban place-making, or the makings of alternative urbanism, in the context of East Asian urban developmentalism and its paradigm shift. The key features of the case study are as follows: (1) the compressive, speculative urbanisation process has produced subjects who share the experience of gentrification-induced displacement and consequently become involved in alternative urban practices; (2) the progressive city government that took power 10 years ago has initiated an urban paradigm shift towards a more inclusive, democratic city. The entanglement of alternative urban practices and the state-envisioned urban ideals, which might serve as a post-political consensus, under the influence of urban developmentalism, is the focal point of scrutiny. In this regard, his research aims to conceptualise alternative urbanism, in a post-political city, as a processual and contested product of socio-spatial relations among diverse people, networks, institutions, ideologies, and imaginaries. 

His research is funded by Kwanjeong Educational Foundation. Prior to joining Oxford, Sangwon acquired his BA and MA in the Department of Geography at Seoul National University where he developed his research interest and expertise in the field of urban studies and political geography. His academic interests speak to research themes such as geographies of social justice, equality, and rights; the changing nature of urban life, urban politics, and urban policy; and the politics of urban and regional governance. He has participated in research projects regarding the politics of urban informal settlement, urban resilience, smart city development, and gendered urban spaces, which significantly informed his master’s thesis and publications in academic journals.

Journal Publications

• Chae, S. (2020) (de)Territorialization of Informal Settlement: a case study on Guryong Village, Seoul, South Korea. Journal of the Korean Urban Geographical Society, 23(2): 57-71.
• Shin, HR. and Chae, S. (2018) Urbanisation and Land Use Transition in a Second-tier City: the emergence of small factories in Gimpo, South Korea. Land Use Policy, 77: 534-541.
• Chae, S. and Shin, HR. (2017) Urban Informality in the Making: spatial strategies in Gimpo, South Korea. Journal of the Korean Geographical Society, 52(3): 305-320.
• Chae, S. (2016) A Critical Analysis on Schools as Socio-political Space and the Reproduction of an Elite Model. Space and Environment, 26(3): 183-222.
• Chae, S. (2016) Formation of Local Governance in NIMBY Facility Location Conflicts and Power Relations Among the Actors: a case study on location conflicts of Suwon probation office in Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu. Journal of Geography, 61-62: 99-121.

Conference presentations

• Chae, S. and Shin, HR. (2021) Urban Informality in the Making: Spatial Strategies in Gimpo, South Korea. Royal Geographical Society with IBG Annual International Conference 2021.
• Shin, HR. and Chae, S. (2017) Urban Growth Regime in Post-developmental State: the emergence of informal factories in Gimpo, South Korea. Royal Geographical Society with IBG Annual International Conference 2017, London, United Kingdom.
• Chae, S. and Shin, HR. (2017) Growth Regime in a Second-tier City: urban informality as an encounter among spatial strategies of the urban growth regime in Kimpo, South Korea. Organised Session-Whither the Growth Machine: New Actors and Changing Growth Machine Politics (Discussants: Harvey Molotch and John Logan), Annual Meeting of American Geographers 2017, Boston, United States.
• Chae, S. (2017) Territorialization of Informal Settlement: a case study on Guryong Village, Seoul, South Korea. Annual Meeting of Korean Geographers 2017, Seoul, South Korea.
• Chae, S. (2017) Speculative Governance of Informal Settlement and the Politics of Formalization: a case study on Guryong Village, Seoul, South Korea. Annual Conference of the Korean Geographical Society 2017, Gwangju, South Korea.
• Shin, HR. and Chae, S. (2016) Urban Growth Regime in a Second-tier City of Postdevelopmental State: the emergence of informal factories in Gimpo, South Korea. Annual Conference of Korean Association of Space and Environment Research 2016, Seoul, South Korea.