Sharing the Potential for Revitalizing Local Commercial Districts with Citizens Through a Student Exhibition
The Department of Interior Environmental Design at Pusan National University (headed by Kim Dongsik) will hold a student exhibition themed "Revitalizing Commercial Districts Near Pusan National University" from December 23 to 28. The exhibition will take place sequentially at Pusan National University Subway Station and the Geumjeong Cultural Foundation’s Culture Sharing Space.
The exhibition aims to raise awareness of the commercial districts and local community surrounding Pusan National University, and to share the potential for commercial district regeneration through design with citizens. It will be operated as an open exhibition, allowing local merchants and citizens to freely attend.
The exhibition was organized as part of the course "Interior Design Studio II (Capstone Design II)" in the Department of Interior Environmental Design at Pusan National University. Students analyzed the issue of vacant spaces and the stagnant street environment around "Buridangil," a cultural and commercial street in front of the university, and proposed revitalization plans through spatial design. Eleven student works, the results of these efforts, will be showcased in the exhibition.
The exhibition will be held in two stages. From December 23 to 27, student works will be displayed at Pusan National University Subway Station. On December 28, an on-site briefing session will be held alongside the exhibition at the outdoor venue of the Geumjeong Cultural Foundation’s Culture Sharing Space.
Students selected actual stores located on Buridangil, either as teams or individuals, and proposed spatial improvement ideas applying the "Road-terior" concept, which combines road space and interior design. The projects explored the potential for revitalizing commercial districts at the alley and street level, ranging from cases that improved spaces while maintaining existing businesses to projects that suggested new business types and ways to utilize space.
To strengthen connections with the local commercial district, the exhibition will also feature a critique-style communication program where members of the Buridangil Merchants’ Association can exchange opinions with students. Through this, students will gain practical, field-based experience, and merchants will have the opportunity to share in the fresh perspectives and ideas of young designers.
Kim Dongsik, professor of the Department of Interior Environmental Design at Pusan National University who supervised the exhibition, said, "This exhibition is the result of students analyzing real issues in the local commercial district from a design perspective and considering realistic alternatives. I hope this will serve as a meaningful example of university education being directly connected to and interacting with the local community."
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