Seongbuk-gu in Seoul has successfully concluded a series of child participation forums aimed at building a city where children can thrive, and district mayor Lee Seung-ro said the feedback gathered at the sessions will be actively incorporated into future urban planning.
The forums were organized to collect children's perspectives on the physical environment and living conditions around their schools, with the goal of realizing a "child-friendly Seongbuk."
Seongbuk-gu ran the initiative in two formats: a forum for 39 children belonging to major local youth participation bodies, and a series of school-visit sessions at Sungdeok, Donam and Seokgwan elementary schools targeting sixth-graders. The district said the sessions carried added significance because surveys and sticker-voting exercises produced concrete data on what kind of city children want.
The results showed that children value a "good city" not for the number of facilities it offers, but in this order: a safe and protected environment, a culture of relationships, respect and participation, and guaranteed opportunities for learning and growth. Children ranked safety from crime and danger as the single most important factor, followed by an atmosphere in which their opinions are respected without discrimination and an educational environment that supports their aspirations.
When asked what Seongbuk-gu needs most right now, children identified mobility and accessibility and learning and growth opportunities as the top priorities. In the on-site sticker vote, the items that drew the most support were: providing diverse experiences such as field trips and sports days, ensuring safe commutes to and from school on rainy or snowy days, eliminating pedestrian hazards caused by abandoned electric scooters and bicycles, and expanding spaces for teenagers and play.
The school-visit forums also generated a range of school-specific suggestions. Improved pedestrian safety was the most commonly shared concern across all three schools, and children put forward a variety of practical, everyday ideas as well.
Seongbuk-gu plans to review the key findings — covering safer school commute environments, improved pedestrian conditions, expanded play and rest spaces, better access to child-use facilities, and a more pleasant living environment — and use them as foundational data for developing child-tailored urban plans.
"The hazards children flagged on their routes to and from school, and their thoughts on public spaces, are invaluable policy hints that adults might never have noticed on their own," district mayor Lee said. "We will do our utmost to build a Seongbuk that children can feel is truly livable — one where the voices of children, who are both the owners and the future of this city, are respected and reflected in real urban spaces."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
