"For Design Welfare" ... First Establishment of Seoul Universal Design Center

Operated and Composed of Various Experts at DDP

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul City has established the 'Universal Design Center,' the first specialized institution in a local government dedicated to 'design welfare' to ensure that no one is discriminated against in architecture, urban, and spatial design.

The center, located inside Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), will be composed of and operated by various experts in related fields.

Seoul City aims to systematically apply Universal Design, which it has laid the foundation for over the past decade, throughout the city to ensure that no one is discriminated against due to design regardless of gender, age, disability, nationality, or other factors.

To this end, starting next year, the city will mandate the application of Universal Design to all new and renovated public buildings and facilities, with the center providing professional consulting on optimal improvement measures. The accumulated experience, manuals, and cases will also be actively shared with similar projects.

To incorporate the vivid voices of diverse citizens such as people with disabilities and foreigners, as well as experts from various fields, the city will operate an 'Expert Advisory Group' and a 'Citizen Participation Group.' Education, publicity, and campaigns will also be conducted to improve citizens' awareness of Universal Design and encourage greater participation.

Furthermore, the city plans to promote active public-private-academic-industry cooperation projects to apply Universal Design to other public institutions such as SH Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation and Seoul Social Service Institute, as well as various private facilities.

On the 22nd at 3 p.m., the city will release a pre-recorded video of the center's opening ceremony on YouTube. During the ceremony, Acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyeop will pledge and promise to spread the philosophy of Universal Design throughout all areas of urban administration and establish it as a standard through the 'Seoul Universal Design City Declaration.'

Choi Ryeong, Director of the Seoul Universal Design Center, expressed her aspirations, saying, "To create urban spaces where all citizens can enjoy a happy daily life regardless of physical, cultural, or emotional conditions, we will seek opportunities for change through cooperation with citizens, public administration, academia, and businesses, and ensure that Universal Design becomes a 'beneficial design that resonates with citizens' and firmly takes root in their lives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.