The "Safe School Route Living Lab," running since 2018, continues to engage residents in identifying and solving commute hazards — this year, 256 students at four elementary schools will use a Roblox-based virtual environment to spot dangers, with smart traffic safety installations to follow on actual routes.
Seoul's Seongdong-gu will continue its "Safe School Route Living Lab" project in 2026, aiming to make the daily walk to school safer for children.
Launched in 2018, the Safe School Route Living Lab is one of Seongdong-gu's signature community-driven policy models, bringing together students, parents and teachers to identify problems along school routes and work out solutions together.
Since 2022, the district has incorporated Roblox, a metaverse platform familiar to children, so students can hunt for hazards along their routes in a game-like setting — an approach that has drawn a strong response.
This year, the program will reach 256 fourth- and fifth-graders across four local elementary schools: Gyeongil, Geumbuk, Geumho and Songwon.
The sessions are integrated into the regular school curriculum to reinforce learning. A specialist instructor first introduces students to digital safety and explains the living lab concept.
Students then explore a Roblox-based virtual replica of their actual school route, identifying hazards and discussing solutions with classmates to generate safety improvement ideas. The district expects the format to surface problems children experience firsthand in ways that more conventional methods cannot.
After carefully reviewing the feasibility of student proposals, the district plans to install smart traffic safety facilities incorporating digital technology on actual school routes, making the commuting environment safer.
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