Busan is good

Co-Designing Urban Policy with American Youth: International Exchange Workshop on the 15-Minute City

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it hosted an international exchange workshop on the 15-minute city from April 2 to 3. The event brought together 27 students from San Domenico School in California and 23 students from Busan International Middle School.

The students from San Domenico School visited Korea through the international youth exchange organization Rustic Pathways* for cultural exchange. Among the cities in Korea, they chose to visit Busan to learn about and experience one of the city’s flagship policies: the 15-minute city.

* Rustic Pathways: Established in 1983, Rustic Pathways is a student travel organization that provides adventure travel and volunteer programs for youth in over 20 countries worldwide.

< San Domenico School >
• Location: San Anselmo, California
• Total Students: Approximately 680
• Key Features:
– The oldest independent school in California, offering K–12 education
– Renowned for its arts and music programs, as well as its focus on sustainability and global citizenship
• NICHE Overall Grade: A+

To promote international communication among local youth, Busan City invited students from Busan International Middle School to form teams with the American students. Together, they attended lectures, worked on group projects, and naturally engaged in cultural exchange through the joint workshop.

On the first day, students from both schools toured key facilities within Busan City Hall, including the Future City Center. They attended a lecture themed on “15-Minute City Busan” and participated in group activities where they collaboratively designed their own 15-minute city models and presented their ideas.

The city introduced the concept of the “Busan-style 15-minute city,” which aims to enhance quality of life by restoring social connections within neighborhoods. The city also shared ongoing policy efforts to implement this vision.

In their team activities, American and Korean students collaborated to propose various ideas based on the “Busan-style 15-minute city,” which emphasizes building warm, local connections within walking distance of home.

Students showed keen interest in the policy and extended discussions beyond the scheduled time. They engaged in in-depth conversations on topics such as “How can we preserve land for the environment while ensuring affordable housing supply?”

On the second day, students from San Domenico School visited the Smart Village in Eco Delta City, Gangseo-gu. They explored various facilities including the Platform Center, Wellness Center, AI-based Sports Center, Zero-Energy House, and the observatory, gaining firsthand experience of Busan’s transformation into a smart city.

Students expressed great interest in smart services used by actual residents, such as telemedicine and personalized sleep solutions. They were impressed by Busan’s efforts to realize a future-oriented city through cutting-edge technologies.

Both San Domenico School and Busan International Middle School stated that the workshop was a meaningful experience for their students. They expressed hope for continued exchanges and the development of more joint programs in the future.

Kim So-young, Director of the 15-Minute City Planning Division at Busan City, remarked, “It was deeply impressive that American youth visited our city with a strong interest in the 15-minute city policy.” She added, “I hope the exchange with Busan youth leaves a lasting memory for them, and we will continue our efforts to promote Busan’s leading 15-minute city initiatives to the world.”