Three general types of bus arrival information system in Korea

⚠ Warning : I'm not good at English

 Knowing bus arrival is very useful.

 If you know when a bus arrives, you can spend time at a bus stop properly and know arrival time of destination more exactly.

 Plus Knowing arrival get you stabilized psychologically.

*From: http://thesource.metro.net

 In Korea, there are three general types of bus arrival information system.
This is first type. It has lots of functions, for example knowing a bus route with buttons on a machine and where are buses in detail.

 Many softwares need to operated those functions for that reason this system causes errors frequently and needs lots of money to set up.
 And if there is backlight, you will be hard to use that arrival system because of reflecting.

*From: http://www.pbstv.kr

 This is Second type. It is simpler that upper thing but it also causes errors frequently
, because it want to tell arrival information in detail and all information at once.
 And also it has a problem of reflecting.

  *From: http://yonginsiblog.kr

This is Third type as well as very general type.

 It only tells remaining time and is displayed by LED.

 I thinks that is perfectly enough.

 Other functions are overlapped and unnecessary.

*From: NEWSIs

**Lastly

Using complicated system isn't so bad because it just a try but the most important thing is

realizing problems of complication and considering this case 

when city governments try to set public facilities up.

I wish they realize that less is more.

The Korean bus route information signs

⚠ Warning : I'm not good at English

This is a standing sign for just one bus stop in JeonJu.

It's hard to get a number of the bus I need and there isn't a sign of interval.

And although there are lots buses in the bus stop, they aren't come frequently.

I just think 'Jeonju' prefers quantity to quality.

This case, of course it can connect to lots of places but doesn't have flexibility.

*From: http://hosii.info

It is in GwangJu.

I think this best way to guide a bus line.

It arrange buses by color, put interval time and english.

But it's still hard for tourist or stranger of a city.

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 *From:http://londonbusesonebusatatime.blogspot.com

 *From:http://londonbusesonebusatatime.blogspot.com

It explains in detail so people can know information easily 

but using these signs will need lots of spaces to post.

*From: http://friendsandfamilyinitaly.wordpress.com

It's in Rome.

Its feature is it is assorted by color,alphabet and shape.

+lastly..

I think the reason that why all bus route information is complex is that buses have to go places that subway cannot  reach. and although complexity could cause confusion, a sign which is short of information to seem to be clean and minimal could cause more confusion.

Similar cities in Korea Ⅱ, Train stations with blue, gray and glass

⚠ Warning : I'm not good at English

*From: http://nelson.tistory.com

West Daejeon station.

 *From: http://cafe.naver.com/hkct.cafe

Dae-jeon station

*From: http://blog.daum.net/mmm3314

GwangJu station

 *From: http://blog.naver.com/modernday

 East Daegu station

*From: Wikipedia

Daegu station

*From: http://blog.daum.net/nicearra

Current Seoul station

(From: http://www.kookje.co.kr/)

Ulsan station

Have you realized? If you are Korean, you won't know that I want to say because you're accustomed with those stations but if not I guess you'll know every Korea train station looks similarly. 

They all have blue signs, greenish lighting windows and a grayish outer wall.
The book I read says, those station are built with high-tech architecture and Korean owner of construction, especially the government, likes that architecture as it's a symbol of wealth of a country because building with that architecture needs lots of high technic and money.
I know that high-tech architecture is refined and clean but it's used for the west long time ago. I mean I'm so sad to use that without having an own distinct feature and even late!




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*From: http://www.panoramio.com

Old Seoul station

it was built by Japanese in the period of Japanese occupation.
It is, however, enough attractive. Many Korean cannot imagine current Seoul station easily
but can imagine old Seoul station.

*From: Wikipedia

Jeonju station

*From: http://blog.daum.net/chanellee

JinJu station

These are having a own feature but they are secluded because they are far from center

of the town and don't have anything to spend time.

And Korean-style house is hard to make hugely in contrast with western architecture.

But i think the way to express the most korean buildings is just using a restrained beauty and naturalness, not using Korean-style house reluctantly.

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*From: Wikipedia

*From: http://pixabay.com

These two stations, Southern cross station in Melbourne and Berlin Hauptbahnhof,

 are built to be an attraction and land mark of the city.

There is high possibility that tourists start their travel in a train station.

That means lots of tourist take first and last time of the city in the station of that city.

As you know, If beginnings and endings of the travel are nice, we usually remember the journey was hard but nice, not only hard.

I wish train stations in Korea are changed and memorized to people positively and distinctly.

Lastly, I think Busan station is nice, it also has high-tech architecture, though.

It wides, crowds, has a nice looking and is connected with other downtowns well.

Similar cities in Korea, Main-streets of downtown.

⚠ Warning : I'm not good at English

(From: http://www.ohmynews.com/)

It's called 'Media Pole'. It's located in Gangnam main road in Seoul and cost $4 billion to build in 2009 and $1.7 billion to maintain in oneyear.

Those look like chocolate bars if someone who visit here doesn't know what is that.

(From: http://www.econovill.com/)

The upper part of the media pole was made to show media art and the bottom part but now it is mostly using for advertisement and citizen in seoul don't recognize it functions as media art.

The bottom part was made to provide convenience like knowing weather, taking a picture and searching something wanna know. However, now those functions can be worked in a smart phone.

(From: http://www.munhwa.com/)

Trying those function in the first quarter of the year was not bad because smart phone were not generalized at that time but now most people have smart phones for that reason nobody wants to use this pole except for a few a small number of tourists.

Also It's frequently broken. About 2 or 3 times in one week.

(From: http://m.imaeil.com/)

It's called Media board, located in center of town in Daegu at the end of the year and cost $500 million to build and $100 million to maintain in a year.

As you see, it's broken and not attractive.

(From: http://www.kookje.co.kr/)

It was built in 2012 by Hanhwa which is one of the major companies.

I really don't know why they made that because that's demonstrated that that thing isn't useful anymore by other cases.

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(From: http://www.idaegu.com/)

It's Pohang

(출처:http://blog.naver.com/tege09jo7381/110082300855) 

It's Ulsan

(From: http://www.cbinews.co.kr/)

It's Cheongju

(From: http://blog.naver.com/njm1778)

It's Daegu

As you see 4 pictures, all cities have a small brook in the center of the town.

this situation is similar to the media pole or board.

That's so sad to see most of cities are being changed similarly without own individuality.

A tobacco-manufacturing plant in Daegu, Korea

⚠ Warning : I'm not good at English

DAEGU

(From: http://www.chpri.org/main.asp)

This isn't working, it closed in 1999 because of economic problems.

This area is about 45000㎡ and about 10000㎡ are given for City from KT&G, the only tobacco company of Korea.

It was an annex of the tobacco plant. Now it has been changed to 
an art building in 2012.

Although it doesn't attract many people, trying to reuse the building is much better than tearing down and building a new building.

This is a main building of the plant.

Although small part of this building is given to the city, Daegu, 

now it's just using as a warehouse.

I have called KT&G, the owner, and the city hall to ask what's the plan of that lot.

a man working in KT&G told me that they will build residential and commercial complex in there and a person working in the city hall told me they don't know anything.

the rumor of building residential and commercial complex have kept hearing from old times.

However, this place isn't so attractive place for people who want to live and run a normal store because it's suroudned by factories and a railway and hasn't good traffic facilities.

I think this has 3 features. 

First it's located in not so far from the center of the city and therefore it has a good possibility to approach easily.

Second there's no like this scale of building especially in downtown.

Third it is surrounded by factories handle iron goods and stores selling tools  for that reason this area is very silent in the evening and at weekend.

(From: http://www.daeguartfactory.kr/)

I think the reason why although this reusing building is a unique, nice and innovative structure , it doesn't attract many citizen and tourist is it's only for person who has a goal to visit this building or place.In other words most of people don't come to this place to just enjoy and look around. Because art isn't so familiar with citizen in Daegu and this place function just a exhibition, this means there's no reason to stay long.

If it want to be activated or hope to be like Tate modern or other successful reusing brownfield, it need to change the role and adapt the function that is the most suitable and can gather people equally.

(From: Wikipedia)

This is Chelsea Market in New-York. 

I think, this way is the best way for the tobacco plant in Daegu because market, restaurants and stores is attractive functions for most people, not particular people. Anyone can take an interest in buying, eating something and looking around easily.

I just guess giving stores or places to Artists and designers who don't have enough opportunity to make their works and sell them and operating all of stores, restaurants and market with low prices to let all people in with a light heart can make this place more attractive and unique.

  (From: Wikipedia) 

the tobacco plant in Daegu is now using as Tate modern.

this role is suitable in Seoul 
because there are a lot of people traveling to Seoul from other regions or country.

But Daegu has less tourist than Seoul 
so the plant should be activated by citizen in Daegu first.

I'm really sad to not be using this place properly and be activated well.

I wish, it could be utilized well and then be the best attraction in Korea.

(From: http://www.daeguartfactory.kr/)

It's how to get the tobacco plant.