Dongdaemun-gu Declares '3N (NOW, NEW, NEXT) CITY Vision' for Exploring European Eco-Friendly City Models

Exploration of Heidelberg Bahnstadt in Germany and Completion of Environmental Education at Freiburg Innovation Academy
Signing of Friendship Exchange Agreement and Policy Meeting with Grenoble Alpes Metropole in France

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Ilpyeong Lee) visited Germany and France from November 9 to 17 for a 7-night, 9-day trip to strengthen global cooperation on carbon neutrality and to sign sister city agreements.

This visit was part of Dongdaemun-gu's global cooperation efforts for sustainable urban development and climate change response, marking an important milestone as the district declared its new 3N (NOW, NEW, NEXT) CITY vision.

The delegation's first itinerary included visiting the pedestrian street 'Zielstrasse' and the traditional market 'Kleinmarkthalle' in Frankfurt, Germany, to explore citizen-centered lifestyles.

Next, in Heidelberg, they visited 'Bahnstadt,' the world's largest passive house complex, experiencing an energy-efficient self-sufficient residential model. 'Bahnstadt' is an eco-friendly residential area developed by closing freight railway tracks on a train station site and redeveloping it into sustainable passive houses, providing an energy-efficient urban redevelopment model that greatly inspired Dongdaemun-gu.

In Freiburg, the delegation visited the 'Innovation Academy,' an environmental education institution visited annually by over 300 organizations from around 40 countries, to learn about Europe's innovative environmental policies. They also directly observed eco-friendly urban examples such as Freiburg’s historic district, central station, solar-powered soccer stadium, and the Dreisam River.

Dongdaemun-gu Declares '3N (NOW, NEW, NEXT) CITY Vision' for Exploring European Eco-Friendly City Models

Dongdaemun-gu and Grenoble, France Sign Friendship Exchange Agreement

Especially, by touring the Vauban ecological district and the Heliotrop housing district, they shared successful cases maximizing the use of renewable energy and minimizing carbon emissions, and studied urban development models centered on resident participation and cooperatives.

After completing the German schedule, the delegation moved to Grenoble, France, to actively promote cooperation on carbon neutrality and sustainable urban development. An official welcoming ceremony was held at the Grenoble Alpes M?tropole, where a sister city exchange agreement was signed.

At the signing ceremony, the two institutions discussed cooperation plans in various fields including sustainable urban development, climate change response, and smart technologies. Mayor Ilpyeong Lee and Chairman Christophe Ferrari pledged to jointly contribute to the spread of eco-friendly urban models through the agreement.

The delegation then visited Schneider Electric’s smart building Intencity to experience innovative energy solutions using smart grid technology and explored ways to apply this to zero-energy buildings in Dongdaemun-gu.

They also visited Grenoble’s dedicated circular economy center 'Pole Eco', the waste treatment facility 'Atanor', a public elementary school, and the world-renowned hydrogen electric vehicle technology research institute 'Air Liquide', gaining insights into Grenoble’s environmental policies and technologies.

Ilpyeong Lee, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “Through this visit, we directly experienced various advanced overseas cases and gained important insights into the direction Dongdaemun-gu should take. Going forward, Dongdaemun-gu will aim to become a ‘3N City,’ leap forward as an eco-friendly innovative city, and build a world-class smart city to contribute to solving global environmental issues.”