Living Environment
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Seoul Expands Its "Design Companionship" Initiative to Other Metropolitan Cities
- On March 27th (Thursday), Seoul signed an agreement with Busan, launching intercity collaboration through the "Design Seoul" initiative. - The two cities will share accumulated design assets, capabilities, and policies to seek solutions to urban challenges through design. -A joint workshop will be held in Busan from March 27th to 28th, featuring expert presentations, keynote lectures, and participation by public officials. - "Through continued exchange and cooperation with Busan, we will lead innovation in urban design," Seoul city officials stated. -
Seoul Launches Unified Public Transportation Brand ‘GO SEOUL’ - Set to Become an Icon of the City
- Applicable to four modes of transportation covered by the Climate Companion Card: buses, subways, public bikes (Ddareungi), and Han River buses - ‘GO’ combined with the infinity symbol (∞) symbolizes the endlessly connected and evolving nature of Seoul’s transport - Expected to serve both as a symbol of convenience for citizens and a representative icon of the city, akin to the London Roundel - Mayor Oh: “GO SEOUL will play a key role in enhancing Seoul’s design-driven identity and global competitiveness.” -
[Panel Discussion 2] Designing for a sustainable future
[Chair] Welcome everyone. Today's session topic is 'Design for the Future.' The presentations we've heard from our speakers have been very insightful, covering various aspects that affect both our current lives and future existence. In this panel discussion, we would like to discuss with our session speakers and panelists how various digital innovation technologies, including artificial intelligence, are impacting our public services and product design. Furthermore, we'd like to exchange views on how these changes will guide urban life and our daily existence. -
[Session 2] The Convergence of AI and Design: Organizational Culture, Personalization, and Ethical Leadership
[Kaya Kim] Hello, I'm Kaya Kim, Senior Specialist at Design Center of LG Electronics. Today, I'd like to talk about AI and design from a different perspective than the public or academia, from the perspective of working in a company looking at products and markets. -
[Keynote Session 2] Service Design for the Desirable Cities – Smart Living through Design
[Birgit Mager] What Makes Cities Desirable? When we consider desirable cities, urban design and aesthetics - which we discussed extensively in the morning session - are crucial elements. This includes architecture, planning, public spaces, and historic preservation. However, these aspects alone don't complete the picture. A truly desirable city encompasses multiple dimensions. We must consider livability, economic opportunity, and sustainability. Infrastructure and mobility play vital roles, alongside community and social cohesion. Culture and lifestyle shape the city's character, while education and innovation drive its future. Resilience ensures its longevity, and governance and leadership guide its development. All these aspects can be addressed through design, particularly service design - a field I began teaching in 1995 when it was entirely new. Over the past 30 years, I've had the privilege of experimenting with, framing, and expanding this field until it became what we might call "the new normal" in many organizations and governments worldwide. -
[Panel Discussion 1] Empowering Global Design Capabilities through Urban Initiatives
[Chair] We have arranged this special gathering today to highlight DDP's contributions in leading global design culture, strengthening industrial competitiveness, and spreading design values. We are honored to have Mr. Craig Kiner, Mr. Junggi Sung, Mr. Sang Lee, Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, and Curator Dahyoung Chung join us for an in-depth discussion about balance, universality, and public nature in urban design. This session will serve as a cultural forum to examine how design thinking outcomes influence our city's competitiveness and policy development. Today's discussion will particularly focus on the philosophy and culture inherent in design, inclusive design, accessibility, and non-discriminatory design, along with their contexts, experiences, and creativity. -
[Session 1] Invisible Landmark
[Chris van Duijn] Returning from AI to Human Intelligence Good afternoon. After artificial intelligence, back to human intelligence. Feeling like going back in time a bit perhaps. It's a bit of a mashup of the last subject that Professor Dr. Zec kind of was talking about: existing and new. It's about the landmark that Craig explained in detail, but also, it's about human connection. -
[Session 1] Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Fashion and Future
[Craig Kiner] Urban Development and Architectural Challenge Ladies and gentlemen and distinguished guests, it's a real pleasure to be back in Seoul and at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Like Mayor Oh mentioned before, there are a lot of memories of this place, from the beginning back in 2008 to the grand opening in 2014 — and even the groundbreaking four years before that. Thank you for the invitation to attend the Seoul Design International Forum. On behalf of Dr. Schumacher and myself, I'd like to thank Mayor Oh for his vision, leadership, and ambition in supporting us at ZHA Architects and the DDP project — a design that was unfamiliar and perhaps a little alien, an extraordinary challenge for the city. As we are all aware, DDP was conceived to commemorate Seoul as the World Design Capital in 2010 — 14 years passed — and today we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the building’s opening. We’d also like to offer thanks to the competition jury for their courage and resolve throughout the process, for selecting the design of the metonymic landscape, and to all of our partners and consultants in London and Seoul, including SAMOO Architects and Engineers, ZHA, as well as all of the dedicated construction teams whose efforts played a critical role in delivering the project. -
[Keynote Session 1] The Spirit of Success – Designing the Urban Quality of Life
[Prof. Dr. Peter Zec] Urbanization and City Challenges I'm happy to return to Seoul, a city I've known well since the late 1980s. This familiarity brings me here today to reflect on the DDP and World Design Capital Project outcomes. Urban populations continue to grow globally - 57% of people now live in cities worldwide, with developed nations showing even higher percentages: Japan at 92%, the US at 83%, Korea at 81%, and Germany at 77%. By 2050, this is expected to reach 68% globally. Cities attract people with their facilities, lifestyle, and entertainment options. However, cities face significant challenges. Climate change impacts are evident - from recent floods in Spain to Seoul's challenges with the Han River during heavy rains. While politicians may favor electric cars, they likely won't resolve our clean energy and air pollution concerns. Seoul leads in smart mobility, with what the mayor describes as the world's benchmark metro system. While modern cities increasingly use surveillance, it should focus on safety and urban understanding rather than tracking individuals as seen in Chinese cities. -
[Special Discussion] Landmarks, the Engine of Urban Competitiveness
[Chair] We are joined by three key figures closely associated with the design city Seoul and its central hub, DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza). DDP has now undoubtedly become a global landmark. First, we have Mayor Oh Se-hoon of Seoul, who oversees the city’s transformation into an attractive design-centered metropolis, including the establishment of DDP. Next, we are joined by Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, Chairman of Red Dot, who officially designated Seoul as the World Design Capital in 2010 during his role as the founding chair of WDC. Lastly, we have Craig Kiner, Associate Director at Zaha Hadid Architects, who was the lead architect of the DDP project. -
The Convergence of AI and Design: Organizational Culture, Personalization, and Ethical Leadership
This talk discusses the impact of AI on organizational culture and product design, highlighting the need for designers’ involvement in the early stages of design. Additionally, it explores privacy and ethical issues arising in AI personalization services, using on-device AI technology as an example, and examines the role of design leadership in balancing corporate profits with the preservation of human-centered values. -
Designing for Transition: Transforming Design(ers) for a Sustainable Future
This talk examines the urgent need for a paradigm shift in design education and practice to address the pressing sustainability challenges of our time. The presentation will: Challenge the prevailing anthropocentric worldview in design, advocating for a more holistic approach that considers the interconnectedness of human and natural systems. This shift necessitates moving beyond human-centred design to encompass the needs of all stakeholders, including non-human actors and future generations. Deconstruct the myth of the designer as a singular saviour, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, co-creation, and knowledge sharing across disciplines and sectors. Designers must transition from problem solvers to enablers, empowering communities to participate in the design process and fostering collective ownership of solutions. Highlight the critical need to move beyond short-term, profit-driven design solutions that prioritize immediate gains over long-term sustainability. The talk encourages designers to embrace circular economy principles, particularly the often-overlooked strategy of "refuse," questioning the necessity of new designs and prioritizing reduction, reuse, and regeneration. Explore the expanding role of design beyond traditional boundaries, encompassing not only objects and interfaces but also experiences, services, and systems. The speaker argues that designers, with their unique ability to articulate problems and translate ideas into tangible outputs, are well-positioned to facilitate transformative change across diverse fields. Through compelling examples and practical insights, this talk aims to inspire a design renaissance, urging designers to embrace their agency as changemakers and contribute to building a more just and sustainable future. -
Service Design for the Desirable Cities – Smart Living through Design
Until the end of the last century, design had a strong focus on the material environment. In cities, design was concerned with urban planning, architecture, street furniture, signage - to name but a few. This has changed fundamentally in this century. Designers are shaping and innovating public services. They are leading digital transformation. They co-create with citizens and public servants for the benefit of living in desirable cities. Birgit Mager's presentation will show how governments around the world are putting design on their strategic agendas and how service design is shaping these processes, using concrete examples to provide impetus and inspiration. -
Invisible Landmark
Chris van Duijn of OMA critically examines the role of landmark architecture in urban contexts, challenging traditional notions of visual expression to advocate for the concept of the “invisible landmark”. Through recent case studies - including the expansion of the Hongik University Seoul Campus and Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux - van Duijn illustrates how landmark projects can enhance a city by prioritizing community engagement, functionality, and flexibility over mere aesthetic statements. -
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Fashion and Future
Since its conception, the competition winning design of DDP, commemorating Seoul as World Design Capital, has challenged norms architecturally and in its delivery. Inspired by movement and computational fluid dynamics, the design of the DDP tested the capabilities of the construction industry in Korea. Since its completion, DDP has formed an indelible place in the life of the city in centre of Seoul breaking records for visitor numbers. How does DDP operate as a component of cultural infrastructure, a catalyst for cultural transformation, is it successful and what about the future… -
The Spirit of Success – Designing the Urban Quality of Life
Nowadays, almost 60 percent of the world's population already lives in cities. By 2050, it will be 75 percent. The city is considered as a model for success. Here, people have access to work, to knowledge, to supplies and to culture. At the same time, the city faces challenges in the 21st century: Sustainable cities between housing and space requirements and sustainable construction. Smart cities between digital services and surveillance. Attractive cities between too much tourism and creative industries. Mayor Oh Se-hoon's decision to apply for the title of “World Design Capital” and to actually be awarded this title in 2010 was an initial spark for Seoul City to be recognised internationally as a design city and a “creative hub”. In addition to an extensive programme in 2010, other important milestones were achieved, such as the construction of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in 2014. In his lecture, Prof. Dr. Peter Zec explains that the city can also be a model for success in the 21st century if it succeeds in raising the population's awareness of design and architecture and in placing Seoul City on the world map of the 25 most important creative metropolises. -
Seoul Enhances Urban Aesthetics by Integrating Art Across the City
- Creation of "Attractive Fences" featuring illustrations around long-term construction sites, such as Aeogae Station and the Namsan Gondola project. - Works by renowned illustrators like Subsub, CUNA, and Glory showcased. - Collaboration with L’Oréal Korea to display artworks by disabled artists on the covers of Seoul-style street trash bins. - The city remarked, “We aim to highlight Seoul's charm by incorporating art into urban spaces. Look forward to various street installations at the end of the year and the start of the next.” -
Seoul City: Combating Isolation for Single-Person Households through Space Design such as Sharing Warehouses, Community Kitchens, and Creative Workshops
- Development and implementation of <Ma-eum Maru>, a community space aimed at alleviating the sense of isolation among middle-aged and older single-person households. - Charming space design reinterpreting the nostalgic feel of schools; the first location is the Dongdaemun-gu Family Center. - A leisure-oriented community space fostering hospitality, respect, learning, achievement, and loose connections. - Seoul City is committed to building social networks for single-person households … Experience the transformative "power" of space.