Songdo, City of the Future, Under Construction in South Korea

The city of the future is currently under construction in Incheon just 40 miles southwest of Seoul, South Korea. Songdo will be the first "new" city in the world designed and planned as an international business district. Microsoft has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Gale International, the developer responsible for the $35 billion (U.S.) project, to collaborate to deliver technology and infrastructure and create a cutting-edge, digitally connected and environmentally sustainable city for the benefit of citizens, businesses and government.

"Designing an entirely new city from the ground up provides a unique opportunity to create an ideal technological infrastructure in which access to digital capabilities and experiences is an inherent part of the living and working environment across people's lives," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, in a keynote address at the Government Leaders Forum-Asia in Jakarta, Indonesia. "Microsoft is pleased to join with Gale International, which is working closely with the governments of Korea and Incheon and the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority to help turn this exciting vision into reality."

The MOU announced today is a comprehensive expansion of an existing collaboration between the various parties focused on the Educational Excellence in Technology Initiative to link students, parents, educators, academic institutions, local industry and government partners in a shared vision of how students and workers can reach their potential through technology skills training in a global context.

Songdo IBD, the "Gateway to Northeast Asia," is the first new city in the world designed and planned as an international business district, according to a Microsoft release. This 100 million-square-foot, master-planned metropolis located within the Incheon Free Economic Zone will be connected to the Incheon International Airport, one of the world's busiest, by a new 7.4-mile bridge and linked by subway to Seoul. It is estimated that when complete in 2015, Songdo IBD will be home to 65,000 people and that 300,000 will work there.

Songdo IBD will offer every conceivable amenity, including a world-class hospital, an international preparatory school, museums and the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea. Songdo IBD will be 40 percent green space, featuring a 100-acre Central Park. It is being designed and constructed to ensure long-term environmental sustainability, thus minimizing the city's carbon footprint. Songdo IBD was recently named a "green urbanism" pilot project by the U.S. Green Building Council.