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“Redesigning Busan Through Children’s Eyes” — WDC Busan Launches Full-Scale Design Education in Everyday Life

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, and Design Council Busan announced that, in cooperation with the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, they are launching the “World Design Capital (WDC) Busan 2028, I AM A DESIGNER” program in earnest for elementary school students in Busan.

The first class began at Guseo Elementary School on September 14, and the program will continue through October in conjunction with each participating school’s regular curriculum and schedule.

“I AM A DESIGNER” is an educational program for future generations that begins with the question, “What does Busan look like through children’s eyes?” It encourages students to closely observe the city and surroundings in which they live and creatively express the ideas they discover.

Students are encouraged to look at familiar places they encounter every day, including streets, schools, and parks, from a fresh perspective, identify inconveniences or areas they would like to improve, exchange ideas with friends, and envision a better Busan for themselves.

Following a recruitment process for elementary schools in Busan in July, nine schools were selected. A total of 363 students will participate in 21 classes.

The curriculum has been designed at an age-appropriate level around three themes: “Our Busan,” “World Design Capital (WDC) Busan,” and “Garden City Busan.”

In “Our Busan,” children examine everyday life and the urban landscape of Busan through their own eyes. In “World Design Capital (WDC) Busan,” they explore ways to transform the city through design. In “Garden City Busan,” students imagine urban spaces where nature and people coexist in harmony and express their own visions of a sustainable city of the future.

Busan Metropolitan City expects the program to give children opportunities to identify issues in their surroundings, propose changes based on their own ideas, and view the city in which they live from a new perspective.

In addition, from October through December, the city will offer an experiential program every Saturday at the F1963 Glass House in connection with an official partner exhibition of World Design Capital (WDC) Busan 2028, enabling participants to experience art and design firsthand outside the school environment.

The program will be offered to advance registrants once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Participants will first explore the ideas and forms of expression embodied in the exhibited works through commentary by a professional docent, and then create their own objects inspired by what they have seen.

By viewing works by internationally renowned contemporary artist Jean-Michel Othoniel firsthand and connecting the experience with creative activities, participants will have an opportunity to engage naturally with art and design and express their observations in their own way.

Advance registration will open on September 16 through the official Instagram account of World Design Capital (WDC) Busan 2028 and F1963’s official social media channels, with applications accepted through a Google Form. The program will not operate on October 17.

Advance registration: https://forms.gle/Se1638nPemWFnv746

Through a range of educational and experiential programs linking classroom learning with cultural and artistic venues, Busan Metropolitan City plans to help children and residents encounter design naturally in their daily lives and extend the core values of World Design Capital (WDC) Busan 2028—“Inclusion, Connection, and Participation”—into everyday civic life.

In particular, during the second half of the year, the city will continue expanding opportunities that encompass education, exhibitions, and hands-on experiences so that residents can express their ideas and participate in shaping changes to the city.

Mayor Chun Jae-soo said, “The very process of children looking at the Busan they live in with fresh eyes and freely expressing their ideas is an important starting point for shaping the city’s future. We will continue to expand a wide range of design education and experiential programs from this fall through winter so that more residents can experience design in their everyday lives and join in envisioning Busan’s future.”