Green Smart City Busan Forum

Green Smart City Busan Forum: Happy Smart Cities with Citizen Participation

The 3rd Green Smart City Busan Forum

The 3rd forum of the quarterly '2023 Green Smart City Busan Forum' recently took place on the 22nd of September, 2023 at Busan Culture Content Complex. The event, co-organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Korea office (FNF Korea), Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency (BIPA) and Busan Development Institute (BDI), proved to be a significant gathering for smart city enthusiasts.

The forum, dedicated to showcasing practical applications of smart city technology, aimed to elevate public awareness and engagement in the pursuit of creating a happier, smarter city for its citizens. One of the highlights of the event was the emphasis on 'Smart City Living Labs,' where citizens actively participated and collaboratively tackled urban challenges. This innovative approach aimed to empower citizens to be an integral part of the smart city transformation.

Key Speakers and Topics

The forum featured a lineup of notable speakers who shared insights and experiences from various smart city projects:

- Mr. Kwon Eui-jin, Senior Manager of Smart City Development Dept. at the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water), presented the success story of 'Busan Eco-Delta Smart Village,' a citizen-led living lab project.

- Ms. Park Eun-hee, Team Lead of the Digital Industry Team at the Goyang Industry Promotion Agency (GIPA), discussed the 'Goyang City’s Living Lab' project, showcasing valuable real-life examples of citizen participation, such as pest control, transportation, and improved safety through lighting.

- Ms. Kang Eun-ji, Co-Director of Dark Matter Labs, captivated the audience with her presentation on 'Living in an Entangled Future.' She shared examples of citizen-engaged smart city living labs from both domestic and international perspectives. She emphasized the need to redefine the concept of ‘construction’ within a broader framework to enable sustainable urban architecture and construction, extending beyond the practical examples presented earlier.

In addition to these informative sessions, a panel discussion on the significance of citizen participation in living labs took place, moderated by Dr. Kim Hee-dae, Director General of Daegu Techno Park. Mr. Joo Seung-cheol, Director of the Busan Regional Problem-Solving Platform, participated as a panelist and added his valuable insights on the topic, particularly highlighting the practical challenges faced when leading living lab projects in Busan.

While the recent forum has concluded, the final segment of the forum is scheduled for December, promising more opportunities for citizens, experts, and innovators to come together and shape the future of Green Smart City.