[The Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations] Introduction
Hyunsung LEE / Professor of Hongik University · MP, SDIF 2025
Through the Seoul Design International Forum 2025, we are pleased to present for the first time the Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations. Before we begin the main program, I would like to briefly share the purpose, origins, and significance of this initiative.
Through the forum’s official social media channels, many citizens shared their thoughts and ideas. As a result, we have compiled and presented a manifesto that reflects the values citizens believe design should pursue. In recent years, design has evolved into a key instrument and strategy for realizing values that contribute to a better society. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has also embraced this global movement, carrying out various initiatives that embody such principles.
Today, in many advanced cities, design is no longer regarded merely as a way to decorate the external environment. Rather, it is recognized as a vital tool for improving quality of life and realizing diverse social values. To achieve such aspirations, we need to clearly articulate our direction and commitment—that is the role of a manifesto.
Just as design once played a key role in boosting industrial competitiveness during the industrialization era, it's now important to think about what direction design should take today. This forum aims to explore that question together with citizens and to declare the shared direction that design should take.
The concept of a “manifesto” is not limited to policy—it has become an important framework for defining and sharing visions in design, society, and culture.
Seoul has left a rich legacy of design achievements over the years. Now we look back on that journey to reexamine the values design should pursue in the future. As many experts here would know, since the early 1910s, pioneers of the modern era have continuously proclaimed new visions for design.
For instance, the De Stijl movement articulated a design ideal aligned with the aspirations of the industrial age, and its influence continues to shape our daily lives even today. Similarly, the Amsterdam Agenda presented twelve principles of good design and architecture, serving as a guiding light for future generations. In Utrecht, following a decade of the Social Design Biennale, the Utrecht Declaration outlined ten principles of design for a better society. In the late 2000s, the Kyoto Design Declaration promoted sustainable and human-centered design, while the Montreal Design Declaration emphasized the role of design in addressing social challenges and creating value for the public good.
These global manifestos have shaped the vision of public and urban design across the world. Seoul, too, joined this movement by proclaiming the Seoul Design Declaration when it was designated as the World Design Capital (WDC).
The Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations that we are presenting today continues this historic legacy of design manifestos, but with a new beginning. It is the first manifesto created through the direct participation of citizens. Although this may be a modest start, it carries great meaning: it marks a step toward a more participatory and collaborative approach to public and urban design in Seoul and throughout Korea. This is why we have named it the Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations.
Under the theme “Design Seoul is ____” citizens shared their ideas through social media, and these responses will serve as a valuable foundation for shaping Seoul’s future design policies and urban direction. Ultimately, this manifesto represents our shared promise—a collective declaration to advance Seoul through design and to uphold the values that citizens aspire to realize together.
This concludes my brief introduction to the background and vision of the Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations.
Thank you.
