Seoul City Develops 'Stress Relief Design' for Youth Housing... First Applied at Chungjeongno Urbaniel

Flexible and Selective Use of 'Selective Community Spaces' Tailored to the Lifestyle of the Cheongnyeon Generation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 18th, Seoul City announced that as part of the ‘Social Problem-Solving Design’ project, which addresses social issues through public design, it will create community spaces in youth housing applying ‘stress relief design’ and begin pilot operations from July.

According to a recent survey on ‘stress issues’ across all generations, the stress index of people in their 20s (37.9%) and 30s (36%) ranked first and second respectively, indicating that stress among the youth is a serious problem. However, there is a lack of social consensus and countermeasures regarding this issue. Seoul City recognized youth stress, and more broadly the mental health of the younger generation, as a social problem that the public sector must address, and launched the ‘Youth Generation Stress Relief Design’ project to solve it.

Seoul City focused on the increasing number of single-person households among the youth and applied ‘stress relief design’ to ‘youth housing.’ The project paid attention to the difficulties youth face from the moment they take their first step toward independence, as well as the loneliness and discomfort experienced in private and shared spaces that cause stress.

Through this project, the utilization of idle spaces within youth housing was increased to overcome the limitations of private spaces. It also helped youth manage stress in their daily lives and foster close relationships with neighbors, enabling residents to reduce both physical and mental stress within their living spaces.

The first pilot site for the ‘Youth Housing Stress Relief Design’ project was selected as Urbaniel Youth Housing in Chungjeongno. This public housing accommodates a total of 500 youth residents and features community spaces designed with ‘stress relief design.’ Before creating the ‘stress relief design spaces,’ Seoul City conducted surveys and interviews with 115 residents to gather actual opinions.

The main causes of stress felt by youth living independently were: physical space limitations within the residence (26%), complaints about facility management (17%), having to prepare meals alone (13%), and administrative contract processes (13%). Overall, there was a strong desire for free interaction in larger spaces.

Seoul City created ‘selective community spaces’ divided into three concepts: dining room, media room, and healing room. Reflecting the lifestyle of the youth generation, who value forming loose relationships with like-minded people and sustainable consumption and behavior rather than fixed frameworks, the spaces were designed to be flexibly used for various purposes.

Each space was equipped with appliances, media equipment (beam projector, speakers), and exercise equipment suitable for its purpose to enhance user convenience. Additionally, environmental improvements to reduce stress, such as aromatherapy, white noise, healing videos, and lighting, were implemented throughout the spaces. A ‘Youth Housing Service Manual’ containing information necessary from the residents’ perspective was also developed. The aim is to alleviate difficulties and inconveniences experienced when living alone for the first time and to enhance the value of youth housing life through a naturally emerging sense of community as the community activates.

Furthermore, a space-specific usage manual titled ‘Use Shared Spaces Vigorously’ was developed, creatively reflecting residents’ stories. It introduces various ways to use spaces according to residents’ preferences and situations to relieve stress and promote communication and interaction among neighbors.

The community spaces at Urbaniel, which are currently in pilot operation, can be used by any resident through prior reservation via the apartment service platform or by visiting the support center. After the pilot operation, the operating entity (Lotte Construction) and residents will jointly develop an operation plan for official operation. Joo Yong-tae, Head of the Culture Headquarters, said, “Seoul City will actively support the youth generation to continue a healthy life in a comfortable living environment free from stress,” adding, “We will continue to strive to develop public designs that solve citizens’ stress problems through design.”

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