Renowned Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto, who won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2024, has issued a stark warning about Seoul's future, arguing that the South Korean capital faces a serious crisis if it fails to develop a new vision for housing. The acclaimed architect believes Seoul's record-low birth rate is deeply connected to the city's current approach to housing design and community living.
During an interview with reporters at Seoul City Hall in September, Yamamoto emphasized that many of Seoul's fundamental problems stem from housing issues. "Because housing, at its core, is about how we choose to live," Yamamoto explained, highlighting the critical connection between living spaces and quality of life. The architect has extensive experience working in Korea, having completed several notable projects including the Gangnam Housing and Pangyo Housing complexes, both of which challenge traditional boundaries between public and private spaces.
Yamamoto, who visits South Korea regularly, expressed admiration for Seoul's growing sophistication and called it "the most successful city in the world." However, he also pointed out a troubling paradox: despite being one of the world's most modernized cities, Seoul is experiencing rapid population decline and aging. "I feel that greater problems lie ahead – and deep down, almost everyone living in Seoul already knows it," he warned.
The architect's concerns are backed by alarming statistics from the OECD, which show that South Korea has the lowest fertility rate among all OECD countries. The rate dropped to just 0.72 births per woman in 2023, highlighting the severity of the demographic crisis facing the nation. Yamamoto views Seoul's current housing system as fundamentally flawed and stressed that time is running out to develop new living models and housing approaches.
"If we keep creating housing that fosters stronger communities over the next 10 years, we will start to see the results a decade from now," Yamamoto said, offering a solution-oriented perspective. He believes Seoul could become the place to redefine modern urban living if it embraces innovative housing concepts that prioritize community building and social connection.
The Pritzker Prize winner directly linked the declining birth rate to the lack of supportive environments for raising children in urban settings. He argued that if architects can design spaces where parents in cities like Seoul can truly experience the joy of having and raising children, birth rates will naturally increase. According to Yamamoto, effective housing should provide not only excellent home environments but also strong community connections where mothers can support each other and share the experience of child-rearing.
Yamamoto warned of potential consequences if the low birth rate issue remains unaddressed. "If the low birth rate is not addressed, the number of foreign workers will inevitably increase, and that will bring about another set of problems," he explained. He predicted this could lead to conflicts within the city and the eventual collapse of existing communities, creating additional social challenges.
One major obstacle to implementing Yamamoto's ideal housing model is Seoul's current zoning regulations, which restrict commercial activities in residential areas. His vision involves integrating communal spaces with small-scale economic activities, but existing regulatory and cultural constraints make it difficult to fully realize this concept. While some of his Korean projects embody elements of this vision, the complete model has yet to be achieved under Seoul's current framework.
During his September visit, Yamamoto met with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to discuss future housing strategies for addressing the low-birth-rate society. He also participated in a seminar organized by Park Chang-hyun, CEO of a round architects, and Brique, a Seoul-based media startup specializing in lifestyle and architecture. At this event, Yamamoto presented ideas about collective housing direction alongside Japanese architect Toshiharu Naka and Korean-Japanese architect Chong Ae-hyang.
The renowned architect expressed confidence in Korean architects' awareness of pressing social issues and their ability to address these challenges through innovative design. "I believe architects play the most crucial role in shaping the cities and homes of the future," Yamamoto stated. "That's the sense of responsibility an architect must carry." Currently, Yamamoto is working on a project in Venezuela, where 60 percent of residents live in informal settlements, aiming to transform the country into a more livable and beautiful place through architectural innovation.
