Green growth is key to city’s success, says Busan Mayor

Sunday, 12 February 2012

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Green Government, Local Government

By Kelly Ng | 12 July 2010

“The number one measure of a successful city is environmental sustainability,” Vice Mayor Jeong Lak-hyong of Busan Metropolitan City told FutureGov in an exclusive interview.

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A city with population growth and economic prosperity cannot be considered successful if the environment and quality of life deteriorate as a result, said Jeong. Busan is South Korea’s second largest city with a population of 3.6 million. “We must maintain green spaces, and improve the air and water quality. Sustainable development is the most meaningful success indicator,” he explained.

One of Busan’s challenges is improving the water quality and surrounding of its rivers and streams. “We had many streams which gave off nasty smells, and promenades which were not developed,” he said.

The lower ridges of the big Nakdong River are in Busan. The Dongchun stream runs through the commercial area and another – called the Onchunchun – through the residential area. “We carried out restoration projects on these streams by dredging the river floor. We set up sport centres and parks along the river side,” added Jeong.

While other cities in South Korea experienced a drop in property prices during the recent financial crisis, the real estate demand in Busan had gone up. This trend was most obvious around the river and streams, which reflected the success of the city’s efforts in cleaning the waters.

According to Jeong, Busan city had been attracting new residents and tourists for two reasons – its standard and cost of living. “Busan is a beautiful city to live in. There are many cultural and leisure activities which people can enjoy. The infrastructure is established, with good hospitals, schools, and transport system,” he said. “The cost of living is lower than other cities in Korea and neighbouring countries. These factors make Busan an attractive city to live and work in.”

On the economic front, the mayor talked about the need to create high wage jobs and value-added industries. Busan is the fifth largest port in the world. It will further leverage its geographical advantage by establishing an international industrial and logistics complex which will span 33 square kilometres. It expects to attract more manufacturing and logistics companies from this initiative. Other growth industries include conventions, finance, film, and research and development.