Seoul: A City Where Even Trash Bins Are Refined

Seoul is the capital of South Korea and the economic and cultural center. As the core area of the Korean design industry, Seoul is home to about 73% of designers and is known as “A City Where Even Trash Bins Are Refined”.

In 2010, Seoul was awarded the title of “City of Design” by UNESCO in recognition of its rich cultural heritage, unique innovative ideas, and persistent pursuit and effective efforts in diverse design policies and strategies. Unlike other cities, Seoul does not have many buildings that evoke inspiration, but through the intervention of the people to recreate the city’s appearance, the design is spread throughout the city.

Seoul pays attention to every detail in design, and bus stops are also part of the design, incorporating ideas of creativity and design. For example, the location of the bus shelter in front of the Seoul Museum of History was originally an ancient city wall, and the artist used the wall as a base to artistically use historical relics. At the same time, Seoul has also begun to carry out design activities such as “exquisite plaques, elegant roadside chairs, and exquisite trash cans”, so that art can truly penetrate into the daily life of Seoul citizens. Through years of efforts by the South Korean government, Seoul, a city once known as a “garbage factory”, is now seen as a comprehensive international metropolis that blends tradition and modernity

Design is one of the paths of Seoul’s development, and for this reason, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has proposed the “Design Seoul Plan”. The first is green, which is to expand the green space index; the second concept is blue, which should purify the air and water; the third is history, to protect Seoul’s historical heritage; The fourth is humanities. The goal of the plan is very clear, to transform Seoul from a hard city to a soft city, first to make Seoul attractive, second to design to solve social problems, and third to revitalize the economy.

Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also proposed “design decision-making cut”, which aims to free Seoul from the deterioration of the living environment and ecological environment caused by rapid industrialization through design, and shift from focusing on economic development to a people-oriented urban development concept, so that citizens can personally experience the livability, convenience and high quality of life of the city.

In the process of building a “City of Design”, Seoul has made various efforts in combination with the concept of “design determines everything”, including the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project, the City Gallery Project, and the Dongdaemun Design Field and Park, all of which fully reflect the harmonious coexistence of creative industries and urban spaces.

Among them, the city’s cultural center, created in Seoul’s busiest and oldest area, is Dongdaemun Design Plaza, designed by Zaha Hadid. It is a world-class design landmark, the only ancient city gate left from the Joseon Dynasty, an 80-year-old baseball stadium and a traditional shopping paradise. The Qingxichuan Revival Project focuses on protecting and inheriting history and culture through the construction of distinctive cultural landscapes, and restoring and reshaping some historical relics; The purpose of the City Gallery is to express the unique beauty of Seoul by placing public artworks in public spaces, allowing citizens and foreign tourists to share the unique temperament and history of Seoul.

In order to enhance the image of the city, Seoul chose “Xiè zhì” as a symbol as the patron saint of the city. 10 “representative colors of Seoul” were selected, including Namsan Green, Seoul Blue, and Forbidden City Brown. In recent years, the design industry in Seoul has created more than 170,000 jobs. Seoul is also home to thousands of advertising experts, architects, game designers, and digital content developers.

As a city of design, Seoul will promote the transformation of a creative city into a healthier and more sustainable space through sharing and exchanging knowledge. promote industrial exchanges and cooperation, work together to overcome the challenges of the information age; Through policy exchanges, Seoul’s urban development achievements are disseminated. Seoul also hopes to create a new design culture space through various design activities in which the general public participates, making Seoul a veritable “international design capital”.

Source: International Center for Creativity and Sustainability
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