Hanok to high-rise: what the people of Seoul really think about buildings in their city

We commissioned Thinks Insight & Strategy, working with Orange Intelligence, to carry out a survey of 1,000 people, representative of age/gender, and from each part of the city. We asked them about their views on a range of buildings, and about how they made them feel. They told us which types of buildings they wanted to adapt and repair – and which they thought should be demolished and rebuilt completely. And they shared their thoughts about the kind of buildings they want to see in Seoul in the years to come.

Why does all this matter? When it comes to design of our buildings, for too long, people have been left out of the conversations about the development. They don’t think they have a voice. Humanise is working to change this, Because human beings deserve human buildings – and we should all have a say in what they look like.

This research was first presented at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism in September 2025.

Watch our video featuring the thoughts of Seoulites on the buildings around them – how they make them feel, and what they’d like to see more of in future.