Urban resilience through progressive governance: The case of the ‘One Less Nuclear Power Plant’ policy, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

This article aims to examine how a metropolis like Seoul could be resilient to imminent environmental crisis in the era of climate change. To do so, it conducts a case review of the ‘One Less Nuclear Power Plant’ (OLNPP) policy adopted under the progressive leadership of Mayor Park Won-soon (2011–). The policy was launched in April 2012, with a target of cutting energy use by 2 million tons of oil equivalent (TOE), which is equivalent to the capacity of one nuclear power plant. The target was accomplished in June 2014, six months ahead of schedule. The second phase of OLNPP has been in progress since August 2014 (and is due to complete in 2020). Focusing on its first phase (2012–2014), the article looks into the OLNPP as an experiment for the city’s transition to a resilient energy regime. Following the Introduction, the article reviews the conceptual relationships between risk, resilience and governance in an urban context. This is followed by examination of the background of the OLNPP policy, which was adopted by a progressive leader, and of how the OLNPP as an energy transition project is formulated as geared to enhancing resilience in the city’s energy regime. The next section addresses the progressive mode of governing the implementation of the OLNPP, which leads to resilient energy life, giving rise to a progressive form of city. The conclusion characterises the relationship between the progressivity and resiliency of a new energy system by locating it in a framework of conceptualising a progressive city, while outlining the future of the OLNPP.