About 20 residents and local workers sought — online applications accepted through July 6; selected members will take part in three sessions, from identifying urban problems to developing solutions
Yangcheon-gu is recruiting members for its "Smart City Living Lab Problem-Solving Team," a resident-led initiative in which participants identify everyday urban issues and work together to find solutions using smart technology. Applications are open through July 6.
The Smart City Living Lab is a resident-driven policy experiment in which community members act as end users to surface problems encountered in daily settings — residential streets, alleyways, sidewalks and roads — then help develop and implement technology-based solutions.
The district has been running the living lab program to incorporate diverse resident input into policy and identify lifestyle-oriented services. Last year, the program focused on two initiatives: an indoor air quality management system selected through a corporate competition, and an improved smart bicycle-tracking license plate system submitted as an internal staff proposal. Residents participated in the pilot process and provided feedback on the systems and technologies involved.
This year, the district has revamped the program so that residents themselves identify agenda items based on community needs through living lab activities, expanding the scope and role of public participation.
The district is recruiting about 20 members. Anyone aged 19 or older as of the application date — excluding current high school students — who lives in Yangcheon-gu or works at a business, school, institution or organization in the district is eligible to apply.
Interested residents can apply online through a Naver form by July 6. Further details are available on the Yangcheon-gu Office website and its official blog. Applicants will be notified of results individually in July.
Selected members will attend three regular living lab sessions between July and October, working with experts in discussion-based workshops to identify actionable smart city projects. When needed, participants will also visit sites in person to assess real conditions and pinpoint areas requiring improvement.
Ideas generated through the program will be reviewed for feasibility, effectiveness and applicability, with the aim of developing them into smart city service models suited to Yangcheon-gu.
"A smart city must ultimately be centered on people and the places they live — not just technology," district mayor Lee Gi-jae said. "We hope many residents will get involved so that their firsthand ideas can meet cutting-edge technology and become the innovative policies that shape Yangcheon's tomorrow."
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