Busan is good

Busan Launches Pilot Project to “Declutter the City” – Major Transformation Around Busan Station

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□ The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will begin construction of the pilot project for the “Decluttering the City Initiative” around Busan Station, the city’s main gateway, on June 12, with completion targeted for September.

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The “Decluttering the City” initiative aims to improve urban aesthetics and restore pedestrian rights by removing, integrating, or redesigning various public installations that obstruct sidewalks and roads, creating a safer and more pleasant cityscape.

○ The pilot project area spans approximately 700 meters from Busan Station Plaza to both sides of the station’s front walkway. It was selected through a local district demand survey and review committee in July 2024.

○ Despite heavy foot traffic from approximately 300,000 rail passengers, the area was found to have poorly positioned planters and facilities, pedestrian obstacles around crosswalks, and excessive poles and signs that hinder movement and disrupt the plaza’s functionality.

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From September 2024 to April 2025, the City carried out basic and detailed design phases while conducting ongoing consultations with 25 relevant organizations, including the Busan Transportation Corporation and Korea Electric Power Corporation, and completing related procedures such as landscape reviews.

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Of the 560 public installations identified in the project area, 179 critical infrastructure facilities (e.g., subway entrances, ventilation shafts, power distribution boxes) cannot be moved. Among the remaining 381 items, 312 (82%) will be addressed through demolition (103), integration (47), and redesign (162).

○ Removals include taxi stands, banner poles, and bollards*; integrated items include CCTV, streetlights, traffic lights, and signage poles; redesigns will be applied to fences and other aging installations.

* Bollard: A short vertical post used to control traffic and prevent vehicle access to sidewalks or green spaces

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The project will relocate facilities that currently interfere with the plaza’s functionality, such as kiosks, monuments, the tourist information center, and distribution boxes. Obsolete taxi stands will be removed and replaced with a small park.

○ In addition, the surrounding area will be beautified with green landscaping that reflects seasonal changes. Fences and bollards will be redesigned for visual harmony, while distribution boxes and ventilation shafts will be unified into aesthetically improved urban elements.

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Kim Yoo-jin, Director-General of the City’s Future Design Headquarters, stated,
“Through this pilot project, we aim to improve the first impression of Busan by transforming the area around Busan Station—our city’s gateway—and, most importantly, to restore the public utility of the space by eliminating facilities that have long inconvenienced pedestrians.”

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[Appendix 1] Rendering: Before & After – Busan Station Plaza

[Appendix 2] Rendering: Before & After – Pedestrian Zone Across the Plaza