Evolution of Public Pedestrian Pathways as Semi-Public Infrastructure in Sejong City, Korea

Public pedestrian pathways have been widely adopted in planned cities to improve walkability and strengthen connections between residential areas and public spaces. However, existing studies have largely focused on management issues and post-occupancy privatization, with limited attention given to how these pathways evolve throughout the planning and development process. This study investigates the evolution of public pedestrian pathways in Sejong City, Korea, a state-led planned city developed through a phased planning system. Based on district unit plans, design competition guidelines, detailed design documents, as-built drawings, aerial imagery, and field verification of implemented conditions, the study analyzes the changing planning objectives, spatial characteristics, and functional roles of public pedestrian pathways across five planning generations. The results reveal three major trends. First, public pedestrian pathways evolved from lot-level circulation routes into integral components of neighborhood- and city-scale pedestrian networks linking parks, green corridors, schools, and community facilities. Second, planning approaches were continuously refined through district unit planning, housing design competitions, and implementation experience, leading to increasingly integrated and strategic spatial configurations. Third, the growing integration of public pedestrian pathways with community facilities, public open spaces, and green infrastructure transformed them from simple movement corridors into semi-public infrastructure intended to support social interaction and everyday community life. The findings suggest that public pedestrian pathways function not merely as circulation facilities but as planning mechanisms that enhance urban openness, connectivity, publicness, and community integration. The study demonstrates how public pedestrian pathways can evolve into semi-public infrastructure through the cumulative refinement of planning across successive planning generations and provides planning implications for future pedestrian-oriented urban development.