Changwon Special City, Changwon Delegation Visits the US 'Rust Belt'

Changwon Urban Space Restructuring

Establishing the Future Foundation of the National Industrial Complex

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam visited the U.S. 'Rust Belt' to establish a future foundation for the restructuring of Changwon's urban space and national industrial complex.

On the 25th, Changwon City announced that a delegation led by Vice Mayor Jo Myeong-rae visited Detroit and Pittsburgh, known as the Rust Belt in the U.S.

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam visited the United States' Rust Belt to establish the future foundation for the national industrial complex restructuring of Changwon urban space.

The Changwon delegation visited the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), responsible for redevelopment and business support in Detroit, on the 21st, where they shared efforts regarding Detroit's industry and urban redevelopment with CEO Kevin Johnson.

CEO Kevin Johnson stated, "The way to revitalize a declining city is to foster new industries related to automobiles," adding, "Autonomous driving technology based on automobiles, advanced manufacturing, and technology startup promotion are representative policies of Detroit."

In response, Vice Mayor Jo suggested exchanges in the field of technology startups, noting that Changwon and Detroit share the commonality of being industrial cities focused on manufacturing industries and are concentrating on technology development based on advanced machinery.

Detroit, home to the headquarters of Ford and GM, was once a large city with a population of 1.8 million. However, due to its concentration on a single industry and failure to respond swiftly to industrial changes, it became the first major U.S. city government to declare bankruptcy, and its population has halved to about 800,000.

The Changwon delegation visited an abandoned industrial complex located 3 km in a straight line from the city center and was deeply shocked upon seeing the site. They confirmed the fact that when industry collapses and factories are abandoned, the surrounding commercial and residential areas inevitably become desolate as well.

On the 24th, they visited Pittsburgh, once renowned as a leading U.S. steel city, to observe a successful case of industrial restructuring. They visited the University of Pittsburgh, a leader in industrial and urban restructuring, and held discussions on the transformation from a representative Rust Belt city to a 'Brain Belt' city with Professor Carissa Schively Slotterback of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and Tom Link, Director of the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority.

The Changwon delegation visited Pittsburgh, a city renowned as a major steel industry hub in the United States, to observe a successful case of industrial restructuring.

Tom Link, Director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, said, "Successful redevelopment in Pittsburgh involved active community participation, establishment of a specialized corporation supporting redevelopment, a tax reduction package from city hall to promote investment in redevelopment areas, and active participation of local science and technology specialized universities."

Vice Mayor Jo requested the University of Pittsburgh medical faculty to visit Changwon next year for lectures at the planned Changwon Medical Bio Forum to share experiences in public policy and medical bio industry promotion. Professor Carissa Schively Slotterback of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs agreed to participate and proposed enhancing cooperation through medical bio exchanges between the University of Pittsburgh and Changwon.

They then visited the Robotics Research Center at Carnegie Mellon University, where they learned from Philip Lehman, Associate Dean of the Computer Science Department, about the transformation of an abandoned factory into an advanced robotics research institute.

Associate Dean Philip Lehman explained Carnegie Mellon University's achievements in AI and advanced manufacturing technologies, stating that global universities lead regional industries and play a role in adding value to urban regeneration.

Vice Mayor Jo emphasized that the technology development conducted at Carnegie Mellon University is an R&D institution in industrial medical science fields necessary for the major industrial sector transitions currently required in Changwon, highlighting the importance of attracting advanced science and technology universities like Carnegie Mellon to Changwon.

He further suggested sharing Carnegie Mellon University's advanced science and technology-based manufacturing achievements to advance Changwon's specialized industries and to upgrade Changwon's machinery industry.

Pittsburgh, once known as one of the top three U.S. cities centered on steel, faced a crisis of urban collapse due to the decline of the steel industry. However, by shifting its focus from steel to medical bio, advanced robotics, and education industries, it has become one of the most livable cities in the U.S.

Vice Mayor Jo stated, "Our Changwon is a leading advanced machinery and manufacturing city in South Korea. However, it has lost much economic vitality due to not leading the major changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," adding, "In this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is necessary to restructure manufacturing industries into advanced and new industrial structures and to newly utilize vacant spaces around universities or research institutes in the city center for mixed-use, rather than suburban or newly developed areas, to attract young professionals."

He continued, "Using the advanced policies of U.S. cities Detroit and Pittsburgh, which are leading industrial complex regeneration and medical bio industry hubs, as models, we will review the 50 years of the Changwon Special City National Industrial Complex and accelerate preparations for a second leap forward toward a grand vision and sustainable future for Changwon Special City."

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