Monthly <Design> Nov Issue. Toward a City of Empathy and Inclusion, SDIF 2025
Category related contents
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Respond to the crisis, “Coronavirus reminder’ – from observation to action (Designing Safety Content That You Want to Keep It on Your Desk)
Corona Alert started at the end of January, not long after the outbreak of COVID 19, with the idea of creating a service that can give a little help to society with the programming skills we learned. The members who developed 'Corona Alert' all gathered through the same programming conference. The team members who studied coding together at the conference and had experience in actually developing various services were working as developers of startups. I saw a lot of advertisements saying that such sites exist. We first analyzed several services already on the market. If it is similar to the previously released services, there is no significant meaning, so we considered the inconveniences and the direction of improvement for the existing services. In addition, we established the core value of the service by determining on what points we differentiate, and what value we can provide to users, beyond simply removing inconveniences. -
Seoul Unveils Three Urban-Friendly Smoking Booth Designs Centered on Public Consideration
- The Seoul Metropolitan Government has unveiled three “Seoul-style Smoking Booth” designs to address social conflict and visual disorder caused by unregulated smoking in urban areas. - The booths are available in three types—Open, Semi-Open, and Enclosed—based on citizen feedback and expert consultation, balancing public utility and functional efficiency. - A pilot installation will begin on April 26 at Cheongnyangni Station Square, with official design guidelines to be distributed in May for adoption by local districts and private facilities. - This initiative aims to safeguard public health, enhance the city's aesthetic quality, and improve the overall street environment through thoughtful public design. -
[Keynote Session] Designing Cities for People & Planet: From Vision to Impact
Thank you very much for the opportunity to come and meet you all in Seoul. Today, I just managed to take a little walk around the area in the rain, and I’m happy that you made me feel so welcome — because it’s always raining in Copenhagen too. So thank you for that. -
Architect in action, Shigeru Ban: The power of space and architecture
Can designers help humanity? I've had this thought before. If the Earth enters a post-apocalyptic era (like the destruction of the Earth or the end of humanity, which appears quite often in movies), only a small group of people who are essential for the survival of humanity can take shelter, cab architects or space designers should join that group? This is also a light question about whether architects or space designers are doing the work necessary for our society and humanity. Of course, my personal opinion is that they should join the group. First of all, it would be difficult to create a shelter without an architect or space expert. Otherwise, wouldn't the place become a crucible of chaos? The subtitle of the book <Paper Architecture in Action> (2019, Minumsa publishing) written by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is ‘What can architects do for society?’ From the public's point of view, rather than from the fields of architecture, space, or design, architecture is a tangible entity that creates the landscape of a city. Most people recognize architecture as a landmark, a base, or something that symbolizes something. The lifespan of architecture is also quite long, or more accurately, it should be long, so the experience of architecture is difficult to be fragmented or specific. -
Problem solving and city making - A design approach to cities and their difficult social problems (Summary of the recorded speech)
In modern cities, chronic social problems such as deepening inequality, aging, the spread of chronic diseases, difficulties in immigrant integration, and, more generally, threats to social cohesion are intertwined. These problems can be defined as 'chronic' problems because there is no solution when the commonly used conceptual framework is applied. On the other hand, by changing the way we look at these problems, we can find solutions within new systems (new social, cultural, economic and technological systems). To do this, you must have both practical sense and creativity, which in fact corresponds to design capabilities (and that applies to whoever does the design). -
SDIF 2025 Theme Video Short Version
Seoul Design International Forum 2025 – Short version of the theme video. Seoul Design International Forum is a global platform to share the power of design that transforms cities and lives. Your interest and participation are the driving force that leads Seoul to become an even more attractive global design city. In the upcoming SDIF 2026, we will continue the in-depth discussions on sustainability, creative collaboration, and the quality of life.
Hashtag related contents
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Nature-Inspired Welcome Pavilion Debuts at Boramae Park for the Seoul International Garden Show
- The Welcome Pavilion, designed as a symbolic icon of the Seoul International Garden Show, now marks the main entrance of Boramae Park. - It functions as a central hub that integrates rest areas, exhibitions, and interactive experiences, and will later serve as a participatory public space. - Together with the “Haneul-Haneul” rest installation, it is expected to enhance the overall appeal of the Garden Show to citizens. - Starting this year, a newly designed Pavilion will be introduced annually as a signature feature of the Garden Show. -
2020 Seoul Design International Forum - Social Problem Solving Design
2020 Seoul Design International Forum - Social Problem Solving Design -
[Abstract] Design with 10%
<Bridging the Gap of Experience> The gap of experience refers to the disparity that arises in the process of using products and services when designers and users come from different backgrounds and life experiences. Can a designer ever fully understand the user? If it were a product made solely for oneself, perhaps it would be possible. However, in designs intended for others—especially for the majority—it is almost impossible for a designer to completely understand all users. The smaller the experience gap, the higher the level of user satisfaction. This is because the better a designer understands the user’s circumstances and context, the more accurately they can create what the user truly needs. Conversely, when the gap is large, it is difficult to satisfy users. Therefore, the designer’s goal must be to reduce the gap of experience. -
You Won’t Believe This Is in Seoul, Haneulhaneul & Welcome Pavilion
Hello! I’m Lia, and I’ve just joined as a supporter for the 2025 Seoul Design International Forum! Have you ever thought about how public design impacts our daily lives? In fact, public design goes far beyond simply creating a visually pleasing city. It plays a vital role in improving quality of life, strengthening community safety, and revitalizing local economies and culture. -
Public Space and Design for Everyday Lives of Citizens
City is an inevitable space of life for the modern people. The skyline that we are currently experiencing, the plaza, parks, natural environments and so forth are mostly the result of the city plan that was systemized in the past, and until now, the urban space was planned to play its role in line with the usage that was planned and defined based on function. Various parts of cities that achieved industrial competitiveness by prioritizing efficiency and economics is far from ‘user-centric approaches’ and achieving ‘sustainability’ that is the focus of today’s society. Future city should be restructured into a space that can enable exchange and circulation based on the needs and the thoughts of citizens or stakeholders of local communities, and aged spaces and the environment should be improved to resolve urban issues. -
Urban, Design, and the Spread of Shared Values
Design is emerging as a crucial element in addressing the various challenges faced by modern cities. While design in the past primarily focused on products or visual aspects, contemporary urban design now deals with the architecture, transportation, environment, social issues, public facilities, and spaces of cities from a holistic perspective. This shift has significantly broadened the scope of design, positioning urban design as a central player in enhancing the functionality of cities and the quality of life for their citizens. As urban design evolves, the approaches to improving urban environments are diversifying. Examples such as Copenhagen's bicycle-friendly urban planning and Singapore's ecological urban development illustrate how urban design plays a vital role in boosting the health, convenience, and sustainability of cities. These cases powerfully demonstrate how urban design can contribute to creating healthy urban living environments. However, many issues still need to be addressed, including the design of urban and public spaces, sustainability, social inclusion, digitalization, and policy aspects.