Monthly <Design> Sep Issue. The Charm of Cities Told by Designers: SDIF 2025
Universal Design Policy in Seoul
Seoul's design policy has been in place since 2007. The city’s design policy has been trying to make a cleaner and more sophisticated city, through measures such as improving signage and reorganizing facilities. From 2008 to 2010, the Seoul Design Olympics were held, and in 2010, Seoul was selected as the World Design Capital. For the past 10 years, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has implemented policies focusing on facilities for the disabled through its building certification system for the convenient city life of a wide variety of citizens. With the design policy based on these legal standards, the comfort of citizens has been improved, but it centered on the disabled, and there were cases where public in general was not taken into consideration. This was part of the background for Seoul introducing universal design. The composition of Seoul citizens is also diversifying. As of 2016, the elderly population in Seoul was about 1.28 million, 12.5% of the total population, and by 2027, one in five people is expected to belong to that category. As the number of foreign visitors and the multicultural population continues to increase, this is also becoming an important consideration in Seoul's policies. The diversity of citizens requires more consideration, and Seoul introduced universal design to respect the diversity of all citizens.Healing Space Completed with Design: Yeoui Roll Park!
The "Yeoui Roll Park," which opened in April, is a boundary-free space for play, exercise, and relaxation. It serves as a new concept of community sports space where people of all ages and abilities, regardless of disability, can come together to enjoy and engage in physical activities. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Yeoui Roll Park, located in Yeouido.
Universal Design for Leisure Facilities Cities
User survey for ski resort design reflecting universal design In 1998, at the Winter Paralympic Games in Nagano, 710 disabled skiers were surveyed on the perception and environment of skiing. The response rate was 35%, and the number of answers returned was 261. Interesting answers from the survey include "Skiing is a leisure activity, not a rehabilitation treatment," "I can't move my legs, but I can feel the speed," and "I can enjoy it fully without worrying about being compared to others because I'm exercising privately." In other words, skiing is an easy sport for anyone with any disability to try, and the number of elderly beginner skiers and skiers with disabilities might be expected to increase in the future.
New Challenges in City Design to Post-COVID
At a time when the world is thinking about the form of cities to come after Corona, we need to think about how cities should be constructed from a more comprehensive perspective. In addition to the challenges triggered by the coronavirus, the problem of climate change, which must be approached from a particularly long-term perspective, is an area that cannot be prevented or treated, and is a topic that needs to be found through continuous problem-solving, dialogue, and discussion. How should we respond to the problem of climate change that all cities face in the future and must solve in the long term? We would like to discuss six issues on climate change to be announced at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).SDIF 2024 Main Event <Reflections on Mr. Criag Kiner's Speech>
The Seoul Design International Forum featured many insightful programs, and among them, I was particularly inspired by the presentation “Dongdaemun Design Plaza: Trends and the Future” by Craig Kiner, Principal of Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). This year marks the 10th anniversary of DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza), designed by Zaha Hadid and the ZHA team. DDP stands as a landmark of Seoul, featuring a futuristic curved design located at the heart of the city.Going Public
`The title of my presentation today is Going Public. This is an expression that is used in the financial industry. It is mentioned when a private company goes public after having attracted funding from the outside. The responsibility of the company grows when it gets listed. Against this backdrop, I would like to apply this to the city and humanizing city. Change in the mindset about the city I think of the change in the mindset about the city as ‘defining’. Going public is also related to creating a city for public interest. We learned a lot about social distancing during the pandemic period. We have returned to our normal lives and we are in the process of adapting to the social interactions once again. We are also actively interacting with the city again. Such interactions are always monitored, modeled and are being relayed. Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace. In addition to the socio-economic challenges that are deeply rooted, climate change that could not be seen in the past is having a massive impact on the city. In particular, climate disaster is observed more frequently. Examples being record level heat waves and the rise in sea level and so forth.
Running Festival Opens at Yeouido Park on the 20th (Sat) ... Yeouido Conquiered on Two Feet and Two Wheels
- On April 20th (Sat), the first “Seoul Runners Festival” held at Yeouido Hangang Park... with over 3,000 participants. - Events such as the donation challenge ‘8K Open Run’, running fair, running talk show, etc., were held...Next month, ‘Runners Station’ will opne, - The opening of ‘Yeouido Roller Rink’ under Mapo Bridge, providing a safe and free space for cycling, wheelchairs, etc. - The city aims not only to provide spaces for leisure sports but also to create a ‘healthy city’ through various programs.
The Innovative City for the Next Generation(the MZ Generation): Advancing Towards Ultra Connectivity and the Real World
Space defines an experience. At a café, we drink a beverage. In a museum, we see exhibits. People have the same experience at a specific space and sometimes need to stand in a long line. No one think this is weird. On the other hand, for spaces in a movie or a video game we enjoy on a daily basis, a content defines an experience. The main character may stay in a space where a fantasy adventure unfolds or where characters play cat and mouse with each other in a spectacular event. The same space can be a world where so many stories turn into reality. What would happen if the two worlds are merged into one? What would happen if our world turns into a huge playground and all of us become main characters of an exciting story? What would happen if you can share the experience you have had in a movie or a video game with people in a real world? To prove these hypotheses, I would like to guide you to a space which was once an unattractive neighborhood filled with factories and vehicles but is now a must-go place for MZ generation, and a space where once dull and inactive places have become popular spots for a lot of visitors and even a city-wide festival.
Increased Happiness Index: Reduced Stress With a Change of Design.
Korea is the Republic of Stress. According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 2016, over 90% of adults are stressed in their everyday life. In the 2016 Seoul Survey, over 53.5% of Seoul citizens responded they felt stressed in the past two weeks. As such, stress is becoming increasingly generalized and chronic in the lives of contemporary people, but there is no definite measure to avoid stress. Based on this idea, the SMG planned “stress-free design” as a part of the social problem-solving design in 2016. By breaking away from the conventional method of improving the physical environment and providing material support, the SMG attempted a new public policy to take care of mental health. The purpose is to lower stress faced in each life cycle and situation and bring healthy life to individuals and society by improving factors that hinder the mental health of citizens through design.Design that draws a new world
You may remember the controversy, which took place between the right and the left sides in 2019 when the Republic of Korea commemorates its 100th anniversary, on the question whether the year 2019 is the 100th anniversary or not. However, when the first year of another centenary began in 2020, there was no proposal of ideology or vision for the next 100 years despite the controversy in the previous year. I thought that it just goes that way. Then, COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, creating radical changes as if the pandemic cleans up the world."How can design change the city?"… Pre-registration opens for the 'Seoul International Design Forum’
"How can design change the city?"… Pre-registration opens for the 'Seoul International Design Forum’ - The city will host the '2024 Seoul Design International Forum' on November 27th (Wed) at DDP, with renowned domestic and international speakers. - Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG, and Birgit Mager, President of the Service Design Network, will be among the speakers. - A special discussion between Seoul Mayor Oh, Se-hoon and international invited speakers will be held on the theme of 'Landmarks, the Engine of Urban Competitiveness.' - Pre-registration starts on November 7th (Thu), and anyone interested in design is welcome to participate. - The city expects this to be a meaningful opportunity to contemplate and discuss the power and role of design together.
Post-COVID Era, Direction of Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Universal Design Policy
The global epidemic of COVID-19 is inducing major changes in our daily lives, and in all areas of society. Crisis has become commonplace, and with the transition to a non-face-to-face society, online communication methods have also become popular. Experts predict that this crisis will not end easily, and in particular, the transition to a non-face-to-face society will continue even after the coronavirus (post-corona). In Korea, various measures are being implemented, starting with “social distancing” to prevent and end COVID-19. As a result of everyone’s efforts, results are being achieved, but as social distancing continues, side effects are also appearing in some areas. In particular, for the socially disadvantaged such as the elderly and the disabled, social distancing and isolation from society can be as fatal as COVID-19. In this regard, changes in the public sector are required. It is necessary not only to strive for quarantine through social distancing, but also to alleviate the side effects that are different for each class of society and carefully examine the marginalized blind spots. This is why the role of universal design as “design that embraces all” at this point is important.