Gwangju City to Integrate and Redesign District Walking Projects

Promoting the "Gwangju Citizens' Lifelong Walking Project"
Aiming to Create a City Where Walking Becomes a Daily Habit

Gwangju Mayor Kang Kijeong conducted an on-site inspection around Namgu Pureungil Park on September 28 last year to realize the "Large Poster City," along with Gwangju City Council members Park Pilsun and Choi Jihyun, civic groups, and related officials. Photo by Gwangju City

Gwangju City, in collaboration with the National Design Group, is launching the "Gwangju Citizens' Lifelong Walking Project" to realize its vision of a city centered on public transportation, bicycles, and walking (Dae-Ja-Bo).

The National Design Group is a citizen participation policy model in which citizens, who are the policy demanders, and public officials and service designers, who are the suppliers, work together to identify the needs of policy targets and plan and design public policies and services.

In February, Gwangju City was the only metropolitan city to be selected for the 2025 Public Service Design Support Project with the "Gwangju Citizens' Lifelong Walking Project," and from this month, it will receive consulting and other support from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The goal of the "Gwangju Citizens' Lifelong Walking Project" is to make walking a part of daily life, to integrate and redesign walking programs that have been operated separately by each district, and to develop a health policy unique to Gwangju.

The city will analyze citizens' needs regarding walking programs (events) and incentives through meetings, discussions, and field surveys, and will remodel various walking-related projects currently being promoted by each district to design a Gwangju-specific project.

The city plans to foster a practical and sustainable walking culture essential for the transition to a "Dae-Ja-Bo City." Since policies will be designed from the pedestrian's perspective, the city expects citizens to feel a tangible difference.

On the 13th, Lee Byungcheol, Director of Planning and Coordination, stated, "The National Design Group is a practical example of administrative innovation, where policies are planned and designed together with citizens," and added, "Based on voices from the field, we will develop specialized designs to take another step toward a walkable 'Dae-Ja-Bo City' that citizens can truly experience."