7/31/2019 A Placemaking Proposal (Seoul) - A Call for Specialized Staff

1/2

A Placemaking proposal Seoul, South Korea

A Call for Specialized Staff

Project Overview

Seoul has been on the rise as a world city as it competes against the likes of New York, London, and

Tokyo for the worlds best and most creative talent. It recently ranked above Beijing, Shanghai, and

Singapore in a report that ranked the worlds largest and most influential global citiesi. In addition, Seoul

has been recognized by a number of international entities like the United Nationsii

and the International

Council of Societies of Industrial Designiii

for its innovation and creativity.

However, despite the citys resurgence to become one of the worlds leading global cities, its urbanplanning and placemaking

ivinitiatives have slacked behind the likes of New York in creating people

centric places that are attractive enough to retain older demographic groups as they flee cities for thesuburbs and countryside

v.

The current Mayor, Park Won-soon, is beginning to realize the importance of people-centric places as hiscurrent policies are geared towards creating more pedestrian-only public spaces

vi.

Even though the Mayors vision is bold, one major public space in the heart of Seoul lies heavilyunderutilized as its design does not provide any opportunities for people to enjoy the space on aneveryday basis (i.e: New York s Bryant Park is a place where people can socialize and meet new people,enjoy a coffee with co-workers, or even read a book

vii). Because of this design flaw, the space sits un-

used during peak hours of the day and is only used for major planned events like concerts or festivals.

Our proposed project involves a redesign of the existing space that will allow all people to fully enjoy thespace 365 days a year, all year round. The benefits of a great public space that people are emotionallybonded to are great in number. They can range anywhere from supporting local economics to improvingpublic health and the environment

viii.

However, we are in need of a few dedicated individuals who are passionate about making a grassrootschange at the community and city level.

We are currently in need of the following to help see the project to realization:

Community Outreach and Marketing Assistant (Korean mandatory; needs to be based inSeoul)

o Assist with community meetings to gain feedback on the proposal and to gain feedbackfrom stakeholders / local community

Webmaster / Web Designer (Does not have to be fluent in Korea nor be based in Seoul) o Create and maintain a website whose purpose would be to showcase the project and

solicit website visitors for their support and feedback.

Translator (Korean mandatory; does not need to be based in Seoul) o Translate current proposal and website materials from English to Korean.

Next Steps

The goal of the project is to engage the local community living and working around the project site tocollect their feedback and support (through a documented, petition style method). One of these ways is

7/31/2019 A Placemaking Proposal (Seoul) - A Call for Specialized Staff

2/2

by organizing meetings with local businesses and residents to discuss the proposal. The other is todisplay the proposal publically for all to see on a website where visitors can voice their opinions about it(similar to a Brickstarter

ixtype of set-up). After engaging the public to collect their thoughts and

documented support, the next step would be to pitch the idea to the Seoul government for theirconsideration.

If you might be interested in learning more about the project or the above mentioned positions, please

contact Raymond Chetti at raychetti(at)gmail(dot)com.

iA.T. Kearney Global Cities Index (2012) -http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/global-cities-index/full-report/-

/asset_publisher/yAl1OgZpc1DO/content/2012-global-cities-index/10192iiUNDP Seoul chief to harness Koreas development story ; The Korea Herald -

http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120429000325&ampiii

World Design Capital Seoul (2010) -http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/world-design-capitals/past-capital-

seoul/iv

Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces (Project for

Public Spaces). -http://www.pps.org/reference/what_is_placemaking/

vMore families in Korea leaving city for suburbs ; GMA News Online -http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/257695/pinoyabroad/worldfeatures/more-families-in-korea-leaving-

city-for-suburbsviSeoul streets could become car-free ; the hankyoreh -

http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/539237.htmlvii

Bryant Park ; Project for Public Spaces -http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=26viii

10 Benefits of Creating Good Public Spaces ; Project for Public Spaces -

http://www.pps.org/reference/10benefits/ixYes, in My Backyard! Meet Brickstarter, the Kickstarter of Neighborhood Projects ; Wired -

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/08/brickstarter-for-neighborhood-projects/

http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/global-cities-index/full-report/-/asset_publisher/yAl1OgZpc1DO/content/2012-global-cities-index/10192http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/global-cities-index/full-report/-/asset_publisher/yAl1OgZpc1DO/content/2012-global-cities-index/10192http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/global-cities-index/full-report/-/asset_publisher/yAl1OgZpc1DO/content/2012-global-cities-index/10192http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/global-cities-index/full-report/-/asset_publisher/yAl1OgZpc1DO/content/2012-global-cities-index/10192http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120429000325&http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120429000325&http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/world-design-capitals/past-capital-seoul/http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/world-design-capitals/past-capital-seoul/http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/world-design-capitals/past-capital-seoul/http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/world-design-capitals/past-capital-seoul/http://www.pps.org/reference/what_is_placemaking/http://www.pps.org/reference/what_is_placemaking/http://www.pps.org/reference/what_is_placemaking/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/257695/pinoyabroad/worldfeatures/more-families-in-korea-leaving-city-for-suburbshttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/257695/pinoyabroad/worldfeatures/more-families-in-korea-leaving-city-for-suburbshttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/257695/pinoyabroad/worldfeatures/more-families-in-korea-leaving-city-for-suburbshttp://www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/539237.htmlhttp://www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/539237.htmlhttp://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=26http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=26http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=26http://www.pps.org/reference/10benefits/http://www.pps.org/reference/10benefits/http://www.wired.com/design/2012/08/brickstarter-for-neighborhood-projects/http://www.wired.com/design/2012/08/brickstarter-for-neighborhood-projects/http://www.wired.com/design/2012/08/brickstarter-for-neighborhood-projects/http://www.pps.org/reference/10benefits/http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=26http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/539237.htmlhttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/257695/pinoyabroad/worldfeatures/more-families-in-korea-leaving-city-for-suburbshttp://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/257695/pinoyabroad/worldfeatures/more-families-in-korea-leaving-city-for-suburbshttp://www.pps.org/reference/what_is_placemaking/http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/world-design-capitals/past-capital-seoul/http://www.worlddesigncapital.com/world-design-capitals/past-capital-seoul/http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120429000325&http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/global-cities-index/full-report/-/asset_publisher/yAl1OgZpc1DO/content/2012-global-cities-index/10192http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/global-cities-index/full-report/-/asset_publisher/yAl1OgZpc1DO/content/2012-global-cities-index/10192