On November 18, the ‘Green Apple Awards’, an international environmental award ceremony, was held at Kensington Palace in London, England, and selected as an excellent case in the energy management-carbon reduction category… A futuristic bus that protects public transportation users from heat waves and cold waves, introduced for the first time nationwide in August 2020. Bus stop recognized as a model of smart administration
‘Seongdong-type Smart Shelter’, a smart living facility representing Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Chief Jeong Won-oh), achieved the feat of winning a silver award at the ‘2024 The Green Apple Awards’ held at Kensington Palace in London, England on the 18th. reaped
‘The Green Apple Awards’ is hosted by ‘The Green Organization’, a British eco-friendly non-profit organization, and jointly organized by the European Union (EU), the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and the British Environment Agency. It is recognized as one of the world’s four largest international environmental awards. Since 1994, government offices, organizations, and companies from all over the world have participated every year, and excellent eco-friendly policies, programs, and best practices of ideas are reviewed and selected.
In August 2020, Seongdong-gu submitted the nation’s first IoT technology-applied ‘Seongdong-type Smart Shelter’ and was selected as an excellent example in the ‘Energy Management – Carbon Reduction’ category. It was recognized for its achievements in providing a safe and comfortable environment for bus users who were exposed to the external environment, such as abnormal weather and fine dust, and encouraging the use of public transportation.
The awards ceremony was held on the 18th (local day) at Kensington Palace, England. Seongdong-gu received a green apple-shaped trophy and certificate, the symbol of the ‘Green Apple Awards’, as an award. As a perk of receiving the award, 100 trees will be planted in Kenya and other African regions early next year in the name of Seongdong-gu, and the recipient will receive automatic entry into the top competition, the ‘2025 Green World Award’.
The ‘Seongdong-type Smart Shelter’ is a futuristic bus stop that protects public transportation users from heat waves and cold waves and is one of Seongdong-gu’s representative smart lifestyle facilities. By combining smart technology with existing bus stand functions, it not only provides real-time traffic information, but also provides 18 different types of convenience services, including heating and cooling, traffic and weather information, public Wi-Fi, and mobile phone charging.
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In addition, a hearing loop that helps improve the hearing ability of the hearing impaired and an automatic external defibrillator (AED) that can be used in emergency situations are installed to carefully ensure the safety of residents.
Seongdong-type smart shelters are spreading across the country as a model of smart administration, and residents are also showing high satisfaction. According to a user satisfaction survey conducted in July of this year, 95.1% of users were satisfied.
In addition, the district actively collects residents’ opinions during surveys and improves the function of the shelter in the short or mid- to long-term to increase resident satisfaction. As a result of reflecting residents’ suggestions based on a survey conducted in January, they were satisfied with the following order: ▲ Emphasis on ‘arriving soon’ bus information (76.6%) ▲ Small rest area with backrest chairs (23.7%) ▲ Diversification of information provided (21.8%) appeared.
‘Seongdong-type Smart Shelter’ won the grand prize at the ‘5th Korea Local Autonomy Policy Awards’ in 2020, as well as the excellence prize at the ‘2023 Korea Public Design Awards’ and the President’s Award at the ‘2024 Korea Land Competition’.
In addition, it has been submitted to the ‘A’ Design Award’ and is awaiting an announcement in April next year.
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Seongdong-gu Mayor Jeong Won-oh said, “I feel rewarded and happy that the excellence of ‘Seongdong-type Smart Shelter,’ a smart lifestyle policy that represents Seongdong-gu, has been highly evaluated overseas,” adding, “We will continue to add convenience to the daily lives of residents and protect the environment.” “We will actively explore various projects that can have a positive impact on sustainable development,” he added.
Reporter Park Jong-il dream@asiae.co.kr
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As the web editor for world-today-news.com, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Kim, the Mayor of Seongdong-gu, Seoul, and Ms. Park, the head of ’The Green Organization’. The topic of discussion centered around the Seongdong-type Smart Shelter’s recent achievement of winning a silver award at the ‘2024 Green Apple Awards’, an international environmental award. The conversation delved into the significance of this recognition for smart city initiatives, the role of public transportation in reducing carbon emissions, and the challenges faced in implementing such projects.
1. Mayor Kim, congratulations on the recent win at the ‘2024 Green Apple Awards’. Could you tell us what this means for smart city initiatives in Seongdong-gu and how it will impact the district’s long-term environmental strategy?
2. Ms. Park, as the head of ‘The Green Organization’, what factors influenced your decision to award the Seongdong-type Smart Shelter? Can you share some of the other notable projects that have won awards in previous years?
3. Public transportation is often seen as a sustainable alternative to personal vehicles, but what challenges do you face in encouraging people to use public transportation in Seoul, especially during extreme weather conditions?
4. The Seongdong-type Smart Shelter not only provides a comfortable environment for passengers but also caters to the hearing-impaired and emergencies. Can you elaborate on how this innovation enhances public safety?
5. With increasing demand for smart city solutions, how do you see the future of smart living facilities like the Seongdong-type Smart Shelter? What potential do you see for these types of facilities globally?
6. Lastly, what advice would you give to other cities seeking to implement similar projects? Is there a need for collaboration or standardization in the smart city space?
Section 1: Significance of the Achievement and Future Plans
Mayor Kim, you mentioned that winning the Silver Award at the ‘2024 Green Apple Awards’ is a significant achievement for smart city initiatives in Seongdong-gu. Can you elaborate on how this recognition will impact the district’s long-term environmental strategy, and what future plans you have for these
