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Busan is building a better, greener tomorrow

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The interconnected platforms can accommodate up to 12,000 people and can scale up as necessary. Oceanix/BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group


 In the face of the global climate crisis, governments and organizations have enacted policies to achieve carbon neutrality. Busan has joined the effort to realize net-zero carbon emissions with its vision of a "Green Smart City." To that end, Busan has implemented various policies to bring about a sustainable and eco-friendly future.

Busan joins a worldwide movement
 Busan's urban renewal plan rests on two main pillars: "Digital Transformation" and "Carbon Neutrality." With these principles in mind, Busan is focused on becoming a "15-minute city." While the city's sophisticated public transit system makes every corner of the city accessible, officials want to take this convenience one step further. Under this initiative, citizens can access medical care, childcare, culture, sports and other daily necessities within 15 minutes on foot or by public transport. The goal is to increase citizens' quality of life while decreasing carbon emissions.


 To achieve this, the officials will reorganize the city into 62 "Living Zones." Each zone will have convenient facilities and utilize cutting edge technologies to enhance residents' lives. Features of the plan include smart buses that can provide advanced medical care to the elderly. Culture complexes around the city will offer various hands-on experiences and AI-based learning to children nearby.


 These technological advancements will be bolstered by developing Busan's green spaces. The city will expand the Galmaetgil Trail, urban trekking courses that showcase the charms of Busan's beaches, rivers and mountains, to offer easier access to citizens for walking and leisure.


 Plans also include an urban forest project. Dubbed "Baram-gil" or "Wind Roads," the city will plant corridors of trees along roads and walkways throughout the city to promote air circulation and carbon absorption.

The world's first floating city
 Another item on Busan's ambitious urban renewal plan is the world's first prototype sustainable floating city. In partnership with UN-Habitat and Oceanix, a floating city development firm, Busan will construct the 6.3-hectare floating city offshore of North Port, the potential venue for World Expo 2030.


 Floating cities are an innovative solution in the face of rising sea levels. Oceanix Busan will be established with the values of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda, which include inclusiveness, adaptation and environmental and economic sustainability. The floating community features six integrated systems: zero waste and circular systems, closed-loop water systems, food, net zero energy, innovative mobility, and coastal habitat regeneration.