Selected for Final EU International Joint Research 'DUT Project'
Seoul National University, Hyundai Motor Company Join
Joint Research with Sweden and Norway
Developing the Incheon-Style 'i-Minute City' Model
Incheon City will embark on an international joint research project with major European cities to develop "future-oriented neighborhood urban planning."
According to the city on August 18, this research is part of the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, a project under Horizon Europe, the European Union's large-scale research and innovation program. The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement. Incheon City will participate in the research alongside Seoul National University, Incheon National University, George Mason University Korea, Hyundai Motor Company, and Site Planning.
The core of the research is to design a customized neighborhood model that reflects Incheon's unique urban structure and residents' lifestyle patterns, enabling access to major daily amenities within "i minutes" by walking or public transportation.
The goal is to develop the "i-minute city" model, an expanded concept of the "15-minute city." The "15-minute city" aims to reorganize urban infrastructure so that daily necessities are accessible within 15 minutes, a concept popularized by Paris Mayor Ann Hidalgo's campaign pledge.
The "i-minute city" goes beyond traditional urban planning by adopting a citizen-participatory approach, allowing residents to directly propose neighborhood boundaries and centers. Based on this, universities, research institutions, and companies will collaboratively establish experimental plans.
Incheon City has already conducted pilot GIS (Geographic Information System) citizen surveys and 15-minute neighborhood network analyses, and is building an artificial intelligence (AI)-based platform that incorporates citizen feedback around the clock, 365 days a year.
The city will also conduct joint research with leading European cities, such as Stockholm in Sweden and Rogaland in Norway, focusing on urban accessibility and transportation system transitions. Starting this month, participating institutions will establish an administrative cooperation framework, and in October, the city will discuss collaboration measures with Swedish local governments and others. From next year through 2027, the project will advance digital accessibility analysis, pilot transportation system experiments, and citizen-participatory policy design.
An official from Incheon City stated, "Incheon, as a complex city where old downtowns, new towns, islands, and rural and fishing villages coexist, is the optimal location to establish the 'i-minute city' model. Through this research, we aim to enhance our policy capabilities as a global city and improve the quality of life for our citizens."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
