ULSAN, SOUTH KOREA Co-opting Urban Industrial Symbiosis for Urban Resilience

The landscapes of industry have been changing throughout the last fifty years in Korea. Industrial activity has transformed from agriculture to the agglomeration of manufacturing industries that comprised of electronic, semi-conductors, petrochemical and heavy industries such as shipbuilding and automobile manufacturing. Yet climate change, environmental degradation, ageing population, and unstable global economic forces require Korean industrial cities to engage in resilient attitudes to their future growth. Furthermore, like many other industrial cities in Korea, Ulsan has been showing visible signs of de-industrialization processes as a response to global economic decline and increasing pressure from overseas competition. While there are no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approaches to maintaining sustainability during a slowing economy, creative approaches in advocacy for sustainable development should be sought out. The City of Ulsan has demonstrated through a ‘collective’ approach to implement collaborative initiatives with its industry, people, ecology, and the environment to promote urban resiliency through the practice of a circular economy.