In July and August 2025, eight Community and Regional Planning (CRP) students from UT Austin, led by Professor Ming Zhang, took their education to new horizons by participating in a study abroad program in South Korea. The program focused on international learning and urban planning exchange.
The program began with a two-day symposium featuring 13 presentations by leading scholars and professionals, followed by a week-long collaborative planning workshop with students from the University of Seoul (UoS). The workshop centered on the Great Train eXpress (GTX) — a high-speed commuter rail system serving the Greater Seoul Area.
Mixed teams of UT and UoS students tackled three key themes: GTX System and Performance; Green Networks and GTX Integration; and High-Speed Rail Impacts: A comparative case study of Seoul’s GTX and Austin’s Red Line. Students conducted fieldwork, rode the GTX, visited the Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service (TOPIS), and explored exhibits on the city’s planning and development. The workshop concluded with final presentations to a panel of external reviewers.
While in Seoul, students saw celebrated urban transformation projects, such as Seoullo 7017, a linear park built on an elevated overpass, and the Cheonggyecheon Stream, a restored urban waterway.
UT Austin participants included: Benjamin Khoh, Sarah Kim, Rodrigo Leal, Do Yun Lee, Audrey E. Mitchell, Seunggwan Park, Gavin Porter, and Chengyu Xiang. They were joined by UoS counterparts: Semin Cho, Jaeyoung Jang, Minsung Kim, Junhyeok Kim, Juho Lee, Serin Ming, Seobin Lee, and Chanjin Park. The workshop was hosted by UoS Professor Seungjae Lee, with key support from Dr. Sion Kim and her team.
Following the program, CRP Ph.D. students Do Yun Lee and Seunggwan Park, along with Professor Zhang, presented at the 2025 International Conference on Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development (SPSD) at Hankyong National University.
Do Yun Lee: "Modeling Thermal Risk in Transit Station Areas Using Machine Learning"
Seunggwan Park: "Time Use and VMT Implications of Teleactivity in the Post-COVID Era"
Prof. Zhang: "Toward the Next Generation TOD: Conceptual Framework and Empirical Evidence"
Professor Zhang also visited the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) to share his research on megaregions and high-speed rail, accompanied by CRP alumnus Dr. Kwangyul Choi, now an associate professor at Inha University.
The program concluded with faculty from five universities initiating a roadmap for continued collaboration and academic exchange in future years.
FACULTY
Ming Zhang
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