Seongdong-gu Expands Installation of Smart Heated Chairs for Cold Wave... Yeongdeungpo-gu Launches Residential Management Platform 'Ujugwan'

[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu to Expand Installation of Smart Cooling and Heating Chairs at 118 Bus Stops Along Streets by December ... Improved Smart Bus Waiting Spaces for Comfort in Heatwaves and Cold Waves ... Geumcheon-gu Installs Smart Heated Benches at 14 Bus Stops ... Eunpyeong-gu’s ‘I-Mom Taxi’ Wins Local Government Innovation Award in Welfare Innovation ... Yeongdeungpo-gu Pilots ‘Ujugwan’ Online Platform for Integrated Housing Management Services Including Repairs and Interior & Youth Services

Heated seats at the bus stop installed at the end of January

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it will expand the installation of smart cooling and heating chairs at 118 bus stops within the district to enable residents to conveniently use public transportation even during heatwaves and cold snaps.

The smart cooling and heating chairs are transportation convenience facilities designed to cope with extreme weather such as suffocating heat and fierce cold. Simply sitting on the bus stop chair allows users to maintain a cool or warm body temperature, making public transportation more comfortable to use.

At the end of January, the district prioritized locations with high bus boarding numbers such as Wangsimni Station and Oksu Station, and installed 17 heated chairs as a pilot project for warm use during winter. Residents responded positively as they could wait for the bus while sitting on warm chairs even in cold weather.

However, during summer, the temperature of the chair surfaces at bus stops exposed to strong direct sunlight rose, limiting the feeling of coolness. To improve this inconvenience, since June, the district has been reviewing the installation of chairs with both cooling and heating functions for summer and winter, and has begun full-scale installation.

A district official said, "Many residents expressed discomfort that sitting on chairs at bus stops exposed to strong summer sunlight made their hips feel hot and uncomfortable. Therefore, we are promoting the installation of cooling and heating chairs that can be used comfortably even in summer, and plan to swiftly install them by December this year so that many residents can use them conveniently."

The smart cooling and heating chairs operate from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the first and last bus times in each summer season (June to August) and winter season (November to March). They are equipped with a specially designed temperature controller that automatically activates the cooling or heating system according to the surrounding external temperature. Residents using public transportation can cool off by sitting on cool chairs during the hot summer and feel warmth during the chilly winter winds.

The installation sites were selected from 118 locations with easy access to electricity among the 440 bus stops in the area, excluding 47 smart shelters and 17 existing heated chair locations. This expansion of cooling and heating chairs is expected to fill the blind spots in public transportation and better protect vulnerable transportation users safely.

Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh said, "Although it is a small change in residents' daily lives, we are striving to provide great satisfaction and inspiration. We will continue to promote resident-centered administrative services that many residents can feel in their daily lives."

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced that it has installed ‘smart heated benches’ at 14 bus stops.

The smart heated benches automatically activate when the outside temperature drops below 20℃ and are designed to maintain a temperature of 36 to 38℃. They operate from November to March of the following year, with operating hours from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., matching bus operation times.

Additionally, they are equipped with a 15W wireless charging function, allowing bus users to wirelessly charge their smart devices.

The installation locations were prioritized based on high boarding and alighting numbers and availability of electrical supply, with installation costs funded by the resident participation budget.

Geumcheon-gu Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, "We hope this helps residents use public transportation warmly during winter. We will continue to improve transportation convenience facilities."

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) won the grand prize in the Welfare Innovation category at the ‘2022 Korea Local Government Innovation Awards’ with its ‘I Mom Taxi’ service.

The 2022 Korea Local Government Innovation Awards, sponsored by the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee and the Council of Mayors, Governors, and District Heads, are given to local governments that have achieved outstanding results in regional development.

I Mom Taxi is a dedicated taxi service for pregnant women and families with infants and young children, first launched by Eunpyeong-gu nationwide, gaining attention. Large vehicles capable of carrying strollers are equipped with car seats, and dedicated drivers kindly assist with boarding and alighting.

Hand sanitizers and vehicle air purifiers are provided, and the interior is disinfected daily to thoroughly prepare against possible infections such as COVID-19. The service is designed with user convenience in mind, including easy application via smartphone.

Among approximately 5,900 eligible residents in Eunpyeong-gu, about 5,300 have signed up, achieving a high satisfaction rate of 94.6%, receiving significant positive feedback from residents. It was also selected as an innovation case at the 2021 Korea Innovation Expo, and not only other local governments but also Seoul City are benchmarking this service.

Furthermore, starting next year, a companion support service called ‘Chinjeong Mom Service’ will be added to I Mom Taxi. It will provide childcare and parenting know-how, offering emotional support similar to that of a mother. The district expects this to create senior employment opportunities through cooperation with senior clubs.

Eunpyeong-gu Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, "I am pleased that our efforts to make Eunpyeong a comfortable place to have and raise children have been well recognized. Beyond I Mom Taxi, we will do our best to discover new resident-experience innovation projects for a changing Eunpyeong."

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it has launched and begun pilot operation of the integrated housing management service online platform ‘Ujugwan’ at the Yeongdeungpo Youth Architecture School.

‘Ujugwan’ is short for ‘Our Neighborhood Housing Improvement Management Platform.’ It was planned to provide high-quality housing environment improvement services by utilizing local networks and resources, while making youth the main providers of these services to help create stable youth jobs and a foundation for independence.

Before launching ‘Ujugwan,’ the district and the architecture school promoted a project to build a model for neighborhood housing management companies and have been nurturing young professionals in the architecture field. As a result, last year, the youth company Ttukttak Repair Cooperative (CEO Kim Won-hee), formed by graduates of the architecture school, was established, and this year, a home repair and interior corporation called Second Life (CEO Kwon Na-young) was newly established and began activities.

Both companies plan to provide professional construction services through ‘Ujugwan’ and lead the improvement of the local community’s housing environment.

The newly launched Ujugwan website is mainly composed of ▲Introduction to Ujugwan ▲Simple Repair Reservation ▲Home Repair & Interior Inquiry ▲Ujugwan Store ▲Ujugwan News.

Using ‘Simple Repair Reservation,’ users can easily estimate and book services such as wallpapering, flooring, and interior work without expert visits. Through ‘Home Repair & Interior Inquiry,’ users can freely consult about questions related to architecture.

Additionally, various construction cases are publicly available on the website’s main page for reference when requesting actual work.

Going forward, the district and architecture school plan to expand Ujugwan services to home care fields such as disinfection, pest control, and organizing/storage, as well as eco-friendly re/upcycling areas aligned with housing management trends. They are also preparing various education and employment/entrepreneurship mentoring programs for local youth interested in housing environment improvement.

Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Choi Ho-kwon said, "Through Ujugwan, we will provide customized housing management services tailored to the needs of single-person households, women, and vulnerable groups together with young architects, and share useful information related to housing. We ask for much interest so that Ujugwan, which is newly introduced with young architects active in solving various housing problems in the community, can be successfully established."