Busan is good

Busan’s Globally Recognized “15-Minute City” Expands Consensus with Seoul Metropolitan Council

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it held the “Busan–Seoul Metropolitan Council Policy Meeting on the 15-Minute City Busan” today (October 21) at 10:30 a.m. in the City Hall video conference room.

At the meeting, Mayor Park Heong-joon, Chairperson Kim Gil-young, and 28 other members of the Seoul Metropolitan Council’s Urban Planning and Balance Committee attended to receive a briefing on Busan’s 15-Minute City policies, followed by a policy discussion and Q&A session.

After the meeting, participants visited key 15-Minute City facilities, including the “City Hall Deullak Nallak,” a children’s complex cultural space, and “Domoheon,” a former mayoral residence that was reopened as a public complex cultural space for citizens after 40 years, to observe the implementation of Busan’s 15-Minute City initiatives on-site.

Overview of the Policy Meeting on the 15-Minute City Busan

• ●Date/Venue: October 21, 2025 (Tuesday), 10:30–15:00 / Busan City Hall Video Conference Room

• ●Participants: 28 persons, including Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor) and the Seoul Metropolitan Council Urban Planning and Balance Committee (Chairperson)

• ●Content: Introduction and discussion of the 15-Minute City policy, luncheon meeting, field visits, and establishment of a policy exchange and networking platform

The purpose of this meeting was to share the best practices, achievements, and know-how of Busan, a leading city in implementing 15-Minute City policies, and to create a “happy city” that reflects each city’s unique characteristics through mutual policy cooperation.

Since announcing its vision and strategy for the 15-Minute City in 2022, Busan has been promoting various initiatives aimed at improving quality of life, such as developing representative living zones, conducting policy contests, and organizing vision tours in areas including culture and sports. Through key hubs such as Deullak Nallak, Haha Center, Our Neighborhood ESG Center, and Domoheon, as well as through community-based social infrastructure (SOC), the city is fostering vibrant communities where residents of all generations live happily together.

Busan is also strengthening solidarity with other domestic cities through memorandums of understanding, such as with Jeju, and expanding international cooperation networks with institutions like Paris Dauphine University and the Chair of Entrepreneurship, Territory and Innovation (CHAIRE-ETI). These efforts aim to promote the excellence of Busan’s 15-Minute City policies worldwide and enhance its global brand presence.

Busan’s achievements have drawn international attention, being introduced as a best practice in international conferences and reports by global organizations. Recently, at the invitation of Professor Carlos Moreno, the proponent of the 15-Minute City concept, Busan was the only Asian city to participate in the international conference “Towards Sustainable Urban Proximity” held in Paris, France, in September, where it was introduced as an exemplary model and received significant attention.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been implementing a similar concept known as the “2030 Seoul Living Zone Plan” and announced the “2040 Seoul Urban Master Plan” in 2023. Based on this plan, Seoul introduced the “30-Minute Walking Life Zone” concept, identified essential facilities within these walking zones in April this year, and selected eight pilot districts, thereby laying the groundwork for expanding pedestrian-based living zones and developing related standards.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This policy meeting with the Seoul Metropolitan Council marks the first step toward strengthening solidarity in N-Minute City policies between Busan and Seoul. As the importance of N-Minute Cities grows in response to urban hollowing-out phenomena and climate change in major metropolitan areas, Busan will continue to enhance and expand the completeness of the ‘15-Minute City Busan’ through cooperation with other N-Minute Cities both at home and abroad.”