While the IBD may be environmentally-friendly, some residents have reported that the district is having trouble becoming a vibrant city center.
When CityLab's Linda Poon visited Songdo this spring, she spoke with residents who have had difficulty building community in the new city.
"There’s a ton of people living here, but you don’t really see them," one resident, Lindy Wenselaers, told CityLab. "So the city is alive, but it’s invisible."
Some residents have also complained that the IBD and the larger Songdo City are too remote from Seoul, the country's economic, political, and cultural hub. It takes over an hour to reach the capital.
Around 70,000 people work in Songdo, which is far fewer than the 300,000 people the city government had envisioned.