Oh Se-hoon to embark on European business trip until the 31st, visiting Paris, France and Lausanne, Switzerland

Seeking to Strengthen Urban Competitiveness through Innovative Urban Architecture, Green Ecological Cities, and Beauty·Bio Sectors

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will embark on an 11-day, 9-night business trip to Europe from the 21st to the 31st. The itinerary includes visits to Paris in France; Lausanne and Basel in Switzerland; Madrid and Seville in Spain; and Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

During this trip, Mayor Oh plans to present policy ideas aimed at creating a stylish city that people worldwide want to live in, visit, and invest in, by exploring various European examples ranging from innovative urban architecture systems to waterfront and ecological urban development, as well as culture, arts, sports, beauty, and bio industries.

In Paris, France, he is expected to gain diverse policy ideas to realize key city administration projects such as the ‘Emotional Cultural City’ and ‘Green Ecological Urban Center.’ He will visit the ‘Chaumont International Garden Festival,’ one of the world’s top three garden festivals, to explore ways to develop the ‘Seoul Garden Expo.’ He will also visit the Paris 8th district urban green axis project, planned to be developed as a representative landmark of France by 2030, and the ‘Rives de la Goutte d’Or’ area, which is undergoing redevelopment of a deteriorated industrial zone through bold relaxation of height regulations.

Additionally, he will visit Paris’s representative cultural and artistic facilities such as the Philharmonie de Paris and the newly established ‘Seine Musical’ complex on the ?le Seguin in the Seine River. He will meet with Marc-Antoine Jamet, chairman of the world-class beauty industry cluster ‘Cosmetic Valley,’ to discuss ways to revitalize the K-beauty industry and promote the entry of Korean companies into Europe.

In Lausanne, Switzerland, he will attend the ‘2022 World Union of Olympic Cities (WUOC) Annual Meeting.’ He plans to hold meetings with key figures from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and mayors of member cities attending the conference to strengthen the status of Seoul as an international sports city.

In Basel, Switzerland, a global hub for the bioindustry ecosystem, he will work to strengthen cooperation with the Basel cantonal government and global pharmaceutical company Novartis to support the research and development and overseas expansion of Seoul’s outstanding bio and medical startup companies. They will also discuss expanding cooperation between the two cities into urban architecture and other fields. He will meet with Korean entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and professionals in the pharmaceutical and bio sectors based in Switzerland to hear about the effectiveness of overseas expansion and Seoul’s support measures.

Next, in Madrid, the capital of Spain, he will visit the ‘Rio Park,’ a representative citizen leisure space created by undergrounding roads that had previously divided the waterfront area, to explore the potential for utilizing road space. He will also meet with Madrid Mayor Jos? Luis Mart?nez-Almeida to discuss ways to strengthen exchange and cooperation between the two cities.

In particular, regarding Seoul’s plan to install ‘deep underground rainwater drainage facilities’ at three locations?Gangnam Station, Gwanghwamun, and Dorimcheon?by 2027, he will inspect the ‘Arroyofresno storm tank,’ Europe’s largest underground rainwater reservoir located on the Manzanares River in Madrid.

In Seville, Spain, he will visit the ‘Metropol Parasol,’ Seville’s iconic building and the world’s largest wooden structure, to explore the potential for promoting eco-friendly wooden architecture. As the climate crisis intensifies, wooden buildings, which emit less carbon than reinforced concrete structures, are emerging as an alternative. Countries such as France, Canada, and Japan are leading efforts to promote wooden architecture.

In Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Netherlands, he will focus on examining the Netherlands’ creative and innovative architectural systems that lead global architectural trends. He will also meet with Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema to share methods for establishing support systems for introducing innovative buildings.

Mayor Oh has a deep interest in the reasons behind Rotterdam’s unique and attractive architectural designs and its building regulations. Through the Dutch examples, he plans to explore various ways to activate innovative urban architectural designs in Seoul.

In Rotterdam, he will visit the Maritime District, a waterfront high-rise, high-density area developed freely according to guidelines without height restrictions; the world’s largest floating office, FOR (Floating Office Rotterdam); and the Lijnbaan district, home to Rotterdam landmarks such as the Pencil House, Cube Houses, and Market Hall. In Amsterdam, he will visit the Zuidas business complex area and see unique rental housing with Tetris block-like designs, such as ‘The Valley.’

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