Mapo-gu Promotes Local Specialized Projects Including Child-Friendly Schools and Maker Movement Activation

District's Mid- to Long-Term Development Plan 'Final Report' Published... Accelerating Policy Innovation

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) has published the ‘2019 District Administration Research Final Report,’ which contains mid- to long-term development plans based on local conditions, and is set to proceed with related projects.

Since June of last year, the district has embarked on policy research for the mid- to long-term development of Mapo-gu through the ‘Mapo 1st Street Research Team,’ a specialized team within the organization dedicated to district administration research.

Recently, the final report on four research project models selected as departmental proposals was published.

The mid- to long-term research projects that Mapo-gu will focus on include ▲Development of a Korean-style Child-Friendly School model through public-private-industry-academia cooperation ▲Establishment of a case-centered, region-specific conflict resolution foundation ▲Measures to revitalize the local economy through support for the Maker Movement ▲GIS analysis of child-friendly environments.

The Korean-style Child-Friendly School model through public-private-industry-academia cooperation includes 15 key projects involving local governments, education support offices, schools, and residents collaborating to operate schools centered on children’s opinions and human rights.

For the project research, the district conducted surveys of 1,700 people across 45 schools in the area, along with stakeholder roundtable discussions and in-depth interviews to derive project plans.

According to the report, projects such as school security guard support, neighborhood bookstore literature classes, and cultural events visiting schools were mentioned as business models.

Researcher Park Jae-jun, who participated in the study, said, “If these projects materialize, Mapo will take a step closer to realizing its UNICEF Child-Friendly City initiative.”

The case-centered, region-specific conflict resolution foundation plan proposes step-by-step implementation strategies for project promotion, including supplementing conflict-related ordinances to prevent and resolve community conflicts, educational projects, securing professional personnel such as resident autonomous mediators, and establishing a conflict management center.

A district official said, “To prepare conflict resolution strategies, over the past six months, we have designed institutional and policy measures to resolve local conflict cases through literature research, statistical data analysis, domestic and international case studies, and expert consultations.”

The plan to revitalize the local economy through support for the Maker Movement includes building a Mapo Maker and Space database, supporting village maker spaces, supporting maker startups and business services, and maker education projects.

The Maker Movement refers to activities where individuals create what they need themselves, thereby creating new manufacturing sectors and generating added value.

For the project research, the district conducted visits to local maker spaces, in-depth interviews with activists, and advisory consultations, and plans to open new avenues for the local economy through support for maker activities deemed applicable to the region in the mid to long term.

Finally, the child-friendly environment GIS analysis includes developing external environment evaluation indicators for creating child-friendly cities and child-friendly schools by analyzing geographic information of facilities closely related to children, such as school zones, libraries, and sports facilities within the region.

'Mapo 1st Street Research Group' Policy Research Final Report Meeting

The Mapo 1st Street Research Team plans to share the results of this research with all departments of Mapo-gu, other autonomous districts, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and the Seoul Metropolitan Western Education Support Office, and to continue cooperation.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “The need for policy research that considers the unique environment and characteristics of local governments is growing,” adding, “Starting with this research report, we will present policies that more actively absorb residents’ demands.”