Economic Self-Sufficiency Criteria for New Town Planning by Network Characteristics

As the spatial structure of a region is evolving into a decentralized multi-nucli model, networked connection among cities in a region is emerging as an important issue to strengthen regional competitiveness. This paper focused on the limitation of current new town planning criteria which just suggest a uniform standard for economic self-sufficiency by new-town size, without representing the network characteristics of new town. If a new town is planned as a economic strongpoint within a region, it needs to secure appropriate industrial functions. This study classified the characteristics of new towns by network analysis and reviewed the economic self-sufficiency criteria by new town types. Using various network connectedness indices, the 1st and 2nd round new towns in the capital region were analyzed, and land-use distribution of new-towns in other countries were also examined comparatively. The network characteristics of new towns are classified as three types: mono-nucleus, distributed center, and dependent. Based on this classification, planning criteria for self-sufficiency were compared among 6 new towns. This study provides implications for the amendment of "the sustainable new town planning criteria" or the revision of development plans.