Director Hwang Doo-jin, an architect and writer who views history through architecture, boards Daegu's yellow city railway to present four articles. He intends to take a comprehensive look at this tranquil and rational city, covering everything from its topographical heritage and the origins of its name to modern architecture and the systems that shaped its present appearance.

Is New York a City of Skyscrapers? Misconceptions About the City

There is no existing object that is not subject to misunderstanding and prejudice. Conversely, this also means that it attracts just as much attention. While New York comes to mind when thinking of skyscrapers, the top five tallest buildings in the world are all located in the Middle East and Asian cities, including Seoul. Paris is known as a beautiful city, but graffiti, foul odors, and pickpocketing disappoint countless visitors. Not all Koreans are good at Taekwondo, nor are all Italians opera singers. The same is true for Daegu. Several misconceptions make it difficult for us to properly understand these cities. At the same time, they make us wonder why such misunderstandings arose.

A big hill? A wide village? The origin of Daegu

A common misconception is that Daegu is a city of hills. This misunderstanding can only be resolved by accurately understanding the origin of the Chinese characters '大邱'. Originally, Daegu's ancient name until the Three Kingdoms period was 'Dalgubeol ' (達句伐). Here, the characters were unrelated to meaning and simply represented the sound. It is said to have meant something like a 'wide village.' Later, during the reign of King Gyeongdeok of Silla, as Chinese systems were adopted, many place names on the Korean Peninsula became two-syllable characters as they are today, and Dalgubeol began to be called 'Daegu ' (大丘). This was also a result of so-called phonetic transcription, where the sound is represented by Chinese characters; however, the inclusion of the character '丘' (hill ) has since caused a persistent misunderstanding.

Although the current character '邱' began to be used instead of '丘' during the reigns of King Yeongjo and King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty, the misunderstanding had already begun. A "wide village" had inexplicably become a "big hill." It is not just Koreans who misunderstand this. Foreigners residing in Korea often translate Korean place names into English; for instance, Cheonan is called "Heavenly Comfort," Busan "Cauldron Mountain," and Daegu "Big Hill." However, upon actually visiting Daegu , one realizes that these concepts do not fit the city very well. While there are hills like Cheongna Hill, they do not possess a particularly distinctive presence compared to other cities. Rather, it is common to see the sky, rather than mountains, between buildings. In other words, "wide village" rather than "big hill" is closer to Daegu's spatial identity.

Rather, between the buildings

It is common to see the sky instead of the mountains.

Daegu's spatial identity is closer to a 'wide village' rather than a 'big hill'.

Is Daegu really a basin city?

This naturally leads to a second misconception: that "Daegu is a basin." It is true that high peaks such as Juamsan, Choejeongsan, Daedeoksan, and Palgongsan surround Daegu. Therefore, it is correct that Daegu is a basin. However, is there any city on the mountainous Korean Peninsula that is not a basin? To verify this, drawing circles around the original downtown areas of major South Korean cities without disturbing the surrounding mountain slopes yields interesting results. Based on radius, Seoul is 1.5 km, Dongnae in Busan is 1.6 km, Gwangju is 2.7 km, and Daejeon is 3.8 km. What about Daegu? It is 2.3 km, roughly in the middle. While not a precise method, it is sufficient to dispel the misconception that Daegu is uniquely a basin. The idea that Daegu is a basin likely originated in conjunction with its large hills.

The unique character of Daegu is

It lies rather in the steady presence of the original city center than in geographical characteristics.

The power of the original city center sustaining the city, in the same spot since the Three Kingdoms period

Daegu's unique character lies not in its geographical features, but rather in the enduring presence of its original downtown. A serious problem commonly faced by South Korean cities is the decline of their original city centers. It is well known that Jongno, once Seoul's traditional commercial thoroughfare, has lost its vitality, and the Jung-gu area, Busan's original downtown, looks quite different from before. A symbolic example of this is the Busan International Film Festival turning its back on this region to visit the newly developed areas of Haeundae on the opposite side of the city. The decline of the original downtown causes not only sluggish commercial activity but also a decrease in the resident population and triggers various social problems. But what about Daegu? Although new development areas are increasing in Daegu as well, it is considered one of the representative cities in the country where the center of gravity of the original downtown has remained the least shifted. According to one theory, the city's center has not moved more than 2 kilometers since the Proto-Three Kingdoms period. As a result, Daegu still maintains a single-core structure, which is highly unusual for a major metropolis. This is also the reason why Daegu's original downtown is exceptionally vibrant and attractive.

Daegu is very unique for a major city

It still maintains a single-nuclear structure.

This is also the reason why Daegu's old downtown is exceptionally vibrant and attractive.

Grown-up Daegu, What Is the Future?

However, this, too, has the potential to become another misunderstanding regarding Daegu as time passes. Looking at the population trends in Daegu's Jung-gu, such concerns seem to be gradually becoming a reality. The population of Jung-gu, which stood at 77,585 in 2009, peaked at 80,928 in 2015 before decreasing to 74,727 in 2021. This represents a 3.68% decline, whereas the total population of Daegu decreased by 3.84% during the same period, falling from 2,509,187 to 2,412,642. In other words, the population decline in the original city center is still less severe than that of Daegu as a whole. However, a significant variable has recently emerged. With the incorporation of neighboring Gunwi-gun into Daegu on July 1, 2023, Daegu became the city with the largest land area among all special and metropolitan cities nationwide. Since Gunwi-gun did not have a large population, the population growth is not particularly significant compared to the increase in land area. Through this, the future of Gunwi County, long cited as a prime example of a region facing population decline, has brightened; however, the identity of Daegu—the traditional single-nucleus radial city we have known until now—is now facing a new challenge. What changes await Daegu's original downtown? This is why I am curious about the future of Daegu, which is poised to turn a new page in its history.

Illustration | A view of Daegu's old downtown at dusk. Illustrated based on a photograph by Director Hwang Doo-jin.

**External contributions to the Editorial Department are intended to provide a multifaceted perspective on local culture and industry and may differ from the views of the Editorial Department.

Hwang Doo-jin

Hwang Doo-jin is an architect and a writer who records history and society through the medium of architecture. He majored in architecture at Seoul National University and Yale University and opened his own office in 2000. Starting in Seoul's old city center, he has expanded his scope of activity both in Korea and abroad through his works, lectures, and exhibitions. He has received awards such as the Seoul Architecture Award and the Architectural History Society Award. His representative works include the Castle of Skywalkers, One & One 63.5, Chunwondang Oriental Medicine Hospital and Museum, the Korean Pavilion at the East Asian Museum in Sweden, and a series of Hanok projects. One can carefully examine his perspective in his seven books, including *Rainbow Rice Cake Architecture* and *Where Is Your Seoul?*.