Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Seoul focuses on enhancing waterfronts
Attendees of the 2023 The Joint Water Seoul - Seoul Urban Policy International Conference pose at the beginning of the conference at the Seoul Waterworks Authority building in Seodaemun District, Monday. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
By Jung Da-hyun
Seoul hosted an international conference, Monday, to discuss urban policies that utilize waterfront areas at the Seoul Waterworks Authority building in Seodaemun District.
Under the notion of transforming waterfronts into public leisure spaces, authorities and experts came together to share experiences and discuss relevant policies.
The Joint Water Seoul – Seoul Urban Policy International Conference, first initiated in 2021, aims to share city policy and technological information for "meta-cities." These are cities characterized by dynamic urban regions comprising multiple dense centers, intervening suburbs and embedded green spaces.
During last year's conference, it was proposed that Seoul's urban policy should be enhanced by incorporating nature-based solutions alongside technological and policy development.
This year's conference places particular emphasis on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as an approach that Seoul can adopt for the utilization and development of waterfront areas, as it offers multiple benefits.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon gives a pre-recorded welcome speech at the 2023 The Joint Water Seoul - Seoul Urban Policy International Conference, which took place at the Seoul Waterworks Authority building in Seodaemun District, Monday. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is actively working to make use of these solutions by recognizing the value of waterfront spaces, which are directly related to enhancing urban competitiveness.
During the first session of the conference, presentations were made on the development of waterfront spaces and urban areas through NbS, highlighting the benefits of creating green areas near waterfronts, including flood prevention, rainwater management and improvements in the well-being of the public.
Speakers included Bhuwan Thapa, an assistant professor of Geography and Planning at Appalachian State University; Woo Hyo-seop, an industry-cooperation professor at Sejong University; and Kang Hyun-seok, a founding partner of SGHS, an architecture and design company.
The second session featured experts discussing ways to use waterfront spaces as hubs for reflecting culture and history, focusing on developing waterfront spaces with culture in mind, to make them attractive destinations for locals and tourists.
Park Hyun-wook, the chief curator of the Seoul Museum of History; Huh Jung-rim, a research professor at Konkuk University's department of social and environmental engineering; and Lee Kwan-ok, an associate professor in the department of real estate at the National University of Singapore gave presentations.
“We hope the conference can generate varied insight that could transform waterfronts into central elements of urban spaces,” said Yoo Chang-su, vice mayor for administrative affairs at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
The conference will continue until Tuesday, with a special keynote speech expected from Klaus Ruger, the mayor of the Austrian economic center Linz, known for its successful transformation from a steel city into a European culture center.