A Study on Urban Environment Enhancement through Participatory Public Design

Abstract

(Background and Purpose) The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been enhancing the integration of urban environments and art through the 'Seoul is a Museum' project by installing user-participatory public design works across the city. As a result, public design has evolved beyond passive appreciation, allowing users to engage in the production process, interact with completed works, and directly experience them. In response to this shift, this study analyzes the planning and implementation process of a user-participatory public design project installed on the retaining wall of K High School in Jongno-gu, aiming to explore its potential contribution to urban environmental improvement. (Method) This study first examines Seoul's public art policies and the 'Seoul is a Museum' project while analyzing the strategies of major domestic and international participatory public design cases to establish a foundational research direction. Following this, the current state and issues of the retaining wall at K High School were assessed, leading to the development of an interactive module designed to maximize engagement between users and the installation. Additionally, material research for safety and weight reduction, rotational speed control experiments, and durability tests were conducted to derive an optimized design. Furthermore, the colors and messages from sky photographs collected through various media platforms were incorporated into the module design, exploring how public design can serve as a medium connecting personal experiences with the urban environment. Finally, an on-site survey was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of this study. (Results) This study presents a case in which user-participatory public design was explored as a method of interaction with urban environments, yielding the following key findings. First, by utilizing user-provided data, this project proposed a new type of participatory public design that connects individual memories with urban space. Second, by developing an interactive module that responds to pedestrian movement and wind, the project facilitated natural interactions between users and public design, introducing dynamism and variation into everyday walking environments. Third, the project improved the deteriorated retaining wall and pedestrian space, demonstrating that public design can go beyond visual interventions to contribute to the reconfiguration of pedestrian-centered urban spaces. Lastly, the adoption of a modular design explored the potential for expansion into various urban settings while ensuring sustainability through a reusable and easily maintainable structure. (Conclusions) This study empirically demonstrates that user-participatory public design can contribute to urban environmental improvement. In particular, it verifies that allowing users to engage in the design process and enabling public design to respond to pedestrian movement and natural elements strengthens interactions between urban spaces and their users. Additionally, by implementing a modular system, this study explores the potential for public design that balances adaptability and sustainability. The findings of this study provide a practical model for the planning and implementation of participatory public design, highlighting its role in shaping interactive, inclusive, and dynamic urban spaces.