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Busan Metropolitan City Launches ‘Darakbang’ Campaign: Experience 15-Minute City Communities in Everyday Cultural Spaces

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced the launch of the “Darakbang” campaign to promote the activation of 15-minute city communities and the discovery of neighborhood-based cultural spaces.

Since January, the city has been running the campaign via a dedicated website, YouTube, and social media to identify privately operated neighborhood cultural spaces where local communities can gather and engage in voluntary activities.

In the “Neighborhood Cultural Spaces” call for submissions held last April, over 70 spaces applied, and 19 representative spaces were ultimately selected.

From tomorrow (August 1) to August 3, the city will host “Darakbang Week,” offering residents a chance to directly experience neighborhood cultural spaces and 15-minute city communities.

“Darakbang Week” will be held at three selected representative spaces under different themes, where citizens can participate in various community group activities such as music, theater, reading, and artificial intelligence (AI).

*Selected venues: Half Days (Buk-gu), Lounge J (Busanjin-gu), Book & Space (Gangseo-gu)

The program is designed around existing community activities and citizen participation programs, offering everyone a chance to experience and engage with 15-minute city communities.

The “15-Minute City Citizen Participation Group,” recently launched under the name “Siboya Busan,” will also take part in the event, contributing to increased awareness and promotion of the city’s 15-minute city policies.

Meanwhile, the city continues to activate diverse forms of community life and establish a foundation for citizen happiness through existing anchor facilities for the 15-minute city.

The anchor facility “Deullak Nallak” has established itself as a premier playground of the future for Busan’s children, offering education, play, and cultural experiences. “Haha Center” supports the formation of self-organized clubs among the newly retired population, helping them give back to society. The “Our Neighborhood ESG Center” functions as an intergenerational space through environmental education in upcycling.

By complementing these anchor facilities with privately operated spaces, the city aims to continue fostering warm community engagement.

Last December (2024), the city completed the first Happy Challenge project in the Dangam-Gaegeum area as a core initiative of the 15-minute city. This includes linear parks, Baekyang Family Park, and Gaegum Forest Trail Park, which now host flea markets, walking events, and local festivals that activate community life.

The Darakbang campaign similarly aligns with this policy vision of promoting community life by utilizing not only public but also private facilities.

Park Gwang-myeong, the city’s spokesperson, stated, “The policy vision of the 15-minute city is to create a happy community and a livable, high-quality urban environment,” adding, “We will work to expand the warm community values of the 15-minute city beyond the public sector into the private sector as well.”