Busan is good

Busan’s 15-Minute City Model Wins Gold Award and Criteria Award at the 2025 LivCom Awards, Gaining International Recognition as a Sustainable Urban Model

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that its 15-minute city policy won both the Gold Award in the “Whole City” category and the Criteria Award in the “Sustainable Planning and Management Policies” category at the 2025 LivCom Awards, which evaluates exemplary cases related to building livable communities.

The LivCom Awards, endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), marks its 23rd year in 2025. Established in 1997, the international competition evaluates outstanding urban and local government policies worldwide that enhance citizens’ quality of life.

This year, 281 applications from 52 countries were submitted, reflecting strong global competition, and 30 cities and 37 projects advanced to the finals.

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The final round, held under the theme “Sustainable Urban Culture Innovation,” took place in Istanbul, Türkiye, from November 18 to 21.

The event was co-hosted with various international organizations, including the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD).

During the opening ceremony, keynote speaker Angela Kane, Chair of the LivCom Committee and former UN Under-Secretary-General, along with other UN officials, emphasized resilience and sustainability as essential solutions to the crises faced by modern cities.

Busan competed in the E Category (population over 1,000,001) of the Whole City division, advancing to the finals alongside world-renowned cities such as Vienna, São Paulo, and Baoding. At the awards ceremony on November 21, Busan was awarded the Gold Award.

Among the six judging criteria, Busan received the highest score in the “Sustainable Planning and Management Policies” category. The panel recognized Busan’s establishment of an integrated planning and management system based on its 15-minute city policy, resulting in the Criteria Award and securing two major awards.

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Busan delivered its final presentation on November 20 at 8:30 a.m. (local time), introducing its innovative practices in building a sustainable urban culture.

Under the theme of sharing warm neighborly relationships and cultural experiences close to home, Busan presented its Busan-style 15-Minute City case, highlighting:

• ●A shift from development-oriented to citizen-centered cultural policies

• ●A transition from car- and building-oriented culture to pedestrian- and people-oriented culture

The city also showcased several sustainable and climate-responsive best practices, including:

• ●The 15-Minute City Happy Challenge, aimed at fostering walkable, community-based happiness

• ●Busan Citizens’ Park, which returned a former U.S. military base to citizens

• ●F1963, a cultural complex transformed from a former wire factory

• ●The Our Neighborhood ESG Center, addressing both local senior employment and environmental challenges

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The panel of judges evaluated Busan’s sustainability-oriented initiatives positively, particularly its innovative policies designed for the emerging senior generation.

According to the judges, Busan’s 15-minute city model is a “practical and creative approach that connects sustainability to citizens’ everyday lives and serves as an exemplary model for other cities.”

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Mayor Park Heong-joon stated:

“This achievement signifies that Busan’s 15-minute city model has been recognized at an international level, reaffirming Busan’s status as a city people would want to live in even if given the chance to be born again. Moving forward, Busan will continue sharing its best practices with the global community and expanding sustainable urban models through the Busan-style 15-Minute City.”