Seoul Institute to Hold 'Autonomous Driving and Smart City' Seminar on the 1st of Next Month

Prospects of Seoul's Changes in the Autonomous Driving Era from the Perspectives of Transportation Infrastructure, Travel Behavior, and Urban Traffic Systems

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Institute announced on the 30th that it will hold a seminar on the theme of 'Autonomous Driving and Smart City' at the Seoul Institute's main conference room on the 1st of next month. This seminar is the second in a series following the one held on the 29th to disseminate the Seoul Institute's 2022 research achievements, and a total of five sessions will be held continuously until January next year.

The seminar will proceed in the order of opening remarks by Jeong Sang-hyeok, head of the Spatial Transportation Research Office at the Seoul Institute, followed by thematic presentations by Han Young-jun, research fellow at the Seoul Institute; Yoon Deok-geun, director of the Research Strategy Planning Headquarters at the Construction Technology Research Institute; Kim Tae-hyung, head of the Smart City Transportation Research Center at the Korea Transport Institute; and a general discussion.

Han Young-jun, the first presenter and research fellow at the Seoul Institute, will introduce the expected changes in transportation infrastructure, travel behavior, and urban transportation systems with the introduction of autonomous driving, as well as Seoul's response measures under the theme 'The Era of Autonomous Driving, Changes in Cities and Seoul's Response.' He will also propose very specific and comprehensive response measures by Seoul, including the reorganization of urban transportation systems to share the benefits of autonomous driving, the establishment of urban transportation operation systems to minimize road congestion and conflicts, and the construction of an integrated management system for transportation, architecture, and land use.

Furthermore, Yoon Deok-geun, director of the Research Strategy Planning Headquarters at the Construction Technology Research Institute, will present on the theme 'Directions for Changes in Road Infrastructure in the Era of Autonomous Driving,' proposing future road design and operation strategies considering autonomous vehicles, road space utilization plans, and institutionalization measures. Following this, Kim Tae-hyung, head of the Smart City Transportation Research Center at the Korea Transport Institute, will deliver a presentation titled 'Sejong Smart City National Pilot City, Dreaming of Mobility Innovation.' Kim will introduce the current status, implications, and development directions of smart cities where future mobility technologies such as autonomous driving are applied.

In the second part of the seminar, the discussion will be chaired by Kim Hyung-jin, former professor of Urban Engineering at Yonsei University, with participation from Kim Jeong-hwa, professor of Urban and Transportation Engineering at Kyonggi University; Byun Wan-hee, research fellow at the Land and Housing Institute; Yoon Seo-yeon, associate research fellow at the Urban Infrastructure Center of the Seoul Institute; and the three presenters. Experts from various fields such as urban transportation, urban planning, and urban design will share their opinions on the changes in cities brought about by autonomous driving.

Park Hyung-soo, president of the Seoul Institute, said, “The era of autonomous driving, which once felt like a distant future, is coming closer to citizens' daily lives, and proactive predictions of changes across the city and effective response measures must be prepared.” He added, “Through this seminar, we expect to share the achievements of the Seoul Institute, a comprehensive research institution in Seoul, and research institutions in the construction and transportation fields, and to renew our society’s awareness in preparing for the era of autonomous driving.”