Seoul Design
International Forum
서울디자인국제포럼

Design Seoul 2.0 Design Policy and Future Strategies

What projects does the Seoul Metropolitan Government pursue to create a ‘fun and vibrant city of Seoul’? The Seoul Metropolitan Government is actively pursuing the 「Design Seoul 2.0 Project」 in its endeavor to establish ‘Seoul as a fun and vibrant city’. This comprehensive plan focused on propelling Seoul into a top 5 global city characterized by an abundance of vitality and charm. The objective is to create a city that is cherished by global citizens, a city where the creativity of its citizens is fully realized, and a city that adheres to global standards while preserving Seoul’s unique identity. To achieve this vision, ‘Active Seoul’ is based on five principles which are empathetic, inclusive, contribution, resilient, and sustainable design. The following is an overview of project initiatives. ① Empathetic design that feels pride and pleasure in the uniqueness of Seoul. ② Inclusive design for everyone. ③ Contribution design created by citizens and businesses together. ④Resilient design responsible for the safety and health of citizens. ⑤ Sustainable design that saves the environment and economy. Further details of the project will be outlined based on these five principles.

Cities, Design, and the Future

In 1999, the Clinton administration proposed the ‘Livable Communities’ initiative and emphasized the quality of life as an urban competitiveness. Cities that are ‘great to live in’ or ‘appealing to live in’ are without a doubt one of the policy priorities of all local governments and citizens. However, compared to the previous practice in which the policies focused on a materialized life in the physical space of a city, the ‘quality of life’ is an abstract concept that is perceived differently by people. Thus, forming policy agenda around the idea may not be so simple. Instead of focusing on the physical concept of a city, drawing attention to residents and understanding communities as a group of people who reside in a city are crucial when it comes to the dialogue on the quality of life in cities. In this sense, it’s important for residents to identify themselves as agents of living and active participants who plan their own lives.

[2023 Seoul International Design Forum] Space for Seniors' Health: 100-Year Courtyard

Hello everyone! I was selected as a Seoul Design International Forum supporter, and I recently visited the "100-Year Courtyard" located at the Songpa Senior Comprehensive Welfare Center, one of the many places in Seoul that use design. As you know, outdoor activities have been restricted for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This can be dangerous as it can have a serious impact on the health of the elderly. In particular, dementia is a serious health issue that is emerging in the elderly population these days, and the risk of dementia is higher if you are less active outdoors. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has created a space design called "100-Year Courtyard" to help adults grow their physical, emotional, and social health.

Special Interview: Yap Lay Bee

Many successful cities around the word share one key attribute - a high-quality urban environment, brought about by a strong emphasis on excellent architecture and urban design. In Singapore, we are proud to be recognised globally as one of the world’s most liveable cities. A key contribution in achieving this accolade has been our long-term and integrated approach to planning which ensures that sufficient land is safeguarded to meet our future economic, housing, social and recreational needs, and our integrated approach to land use and transportation planning which ensures that developments are easily accessible by road and public transport, and that the city is walkable and pedestrian-friendly. The long term planning approach and timely investments in supporting infrastructure networks have given us the reputation as a “city that works” – one where high quality buildings are designed in the context of their surrounding urban landscape, and where buildings have mixed uses or shared public spaces that are able to enhance social and community life. This has not been achieved by Government initiatives alone, but through setting out clear and strong visions and plans and through close partnerships with the design and creative community, professionals, developers and other industry stakeholders.

Special Interview: Jeffrey Shumaker

First of all, I am very happy to hear that the City of Seoul is continuing to emphasize the importance of design. For me, an emphasis on design must mean benefitting the broader public and should include an emphasis on the design of the public realm: the city’s streets, parks, promenades and plazas. Every new private development must give back to the city in some way, and this usually means either expanding or enhancing the public realm. It is an important role that the city plays: to leverage all private development for the public good and ensure that every new building is a good citizen of the city.

[Special Interview] Birgit Mager

Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for Korean students aspiring to become leaders in service design? If you would like to be a leader in service design, you should try to be a tree-shaped person. What is a tree-shaped person? You have to have deep roots and you have to have many branches. So the deep roots are the roots in design research. You need to have a good understanding on how to understand a complex system, how to visualize a complex system.