Busan is good

Busan City and Pusan National University Launch Recruitment for “Urban Planning Citizen Academy: B(Project)” Starting Today (August 4)

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will operate the “Urban Planning Citizen Academy: B(Project)” in collaboration with Pusan National University’s Future Citizens Education Center from September 2 to October 23.

○ The Urban Planning Citizen Academy is a citizen-centered educational program that began in 2016 to enhance public understanding of Busan’s urban planning and share the city’s policies and philosophy with residents.

○ Celebrating its 10th edition, the 2025 program goes beyond lectures by linking with Pusan National University’s RISE (Research Innovation for Societal Empowerment) project to strengthen citizen participation.

○ The program will run every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the PNU Future Citizens Education Center. (Excludes Oct. 2, 7, and 9.)

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The program consists of 13 sessions centered on the theme “Strategies for Utilizing Busan’s Waterfront Spaces.”

• ●4 sessions will help participants understand waterfront space issues.

• ●9 sessions will focus on lectures and team exercises to generate and refine ideas.

○ The lectures on waterfront topics will be delivered across seven presentations:

• ●[Session 1] “Citizen-Participatory Waterfront Management in New York” by Prof. Jung Joo-cheol (Pusan National University)

• ●[Session 2] “Balancing Waterfront Development and Public Interest in Global Cities” by Prof. Kwon Tae-jung (Dong-A University) and “Strategies for Future Waterfront Cities” by Prof. Nam Kwang-woo (Kyungsung University)

• ●[Session 3] “Inclusive Waterfronts” by Prof. Lee Hyun-kyung (Dong-Eui University) and “Characteristics and Strategic Management of Busan's Waterfronts” by Prof. Kim Kyung-soo (Korea Maritime & Ocean University)

• ●[Session 4] “Open Waterfronts for Citizens” by Prof. Kim Ji-hyun (Pusan National University) and “Healthy Waterfronts” by Prof. Kim Ji-sook (Dong-A University)

○ From sessions 5 to 13, lectures and field exercises will guide participants through policy planning and idea development using Design Thinking methodology to propose creative solutions for waterfront utilization.

Design Thinking: A human-centered problem-solving approach consisting of Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test.

○ Participants who complete at least 80% of the program will receive a certificate of completion. Outstanding team ideas will be awarded by Busan City and PNU.

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Applications are accepted from August 4 to 18, with a total of 50 participants to be selected.
Interested citizens can apply online via the QR code in the official poster posted on the City’s public notice site: www.busan.go.kr/nbgosi.
Any Busan citizen interested in shaping the city’s future through urban planning is welcome to apply.

○ Participants will be selected based on region, age, and gender distribution. Participation is free of charge.

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Jo Min-soon, Director General of Urban Space Planning Bureau, stated:

“We encourage active interest and participation in this citizen academy, where we envision and propose the future of Busan’s waterfront.”
He added,
“We hope this program becomes a valuable forum for communication and empathy in building a Busan that people will want to live in again and again.”

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Appendix 1. Overview: “Urban Planning Citizen Academy: B(Project)”

Program Overview

• ●Sessions: 13 total
  · Dates: Sept. 2 (Tue), Sept. 4 (Thu), Sept. 9 (Tue), Sept. 11 (Thu), Sept. 16 (Tue),
  Sept. 18 (Thu), Sept. 23 (Tue), Sept. 25 (Thu), Sept. 30 (Tue), Oct. 14 (Tue),
  Oct. 16 (Thu), Oct. 21 (Tue), Oct. 23 (Thu)

• ●Venue & Time: PNU Future Citizens Education Center (7F, NC Department Store,
  2 Busandaehak-ro 63beon-gil, Geumjeong-gu), 15:00–18:00

• ●Participants: 50 citizens

• ●Topic: Strategies for Utilizing Busan’s Waterfront Spaces

Recruitment and Completion

• ●Application Period: Aug. 4–18 (15 days)

• ●Selection Criteria: Based on order of application, with consideration of address, age, and gender

• ●Completion: Certificate awarded to participants with 80%+ attendance

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Appendix 2: Promotional Poster for Participant Recruitment
(Omitted in this version)