Photo: Park-Won-Soon-Gothenburg-Award

Mayor of Seoul wins Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development

10 May 2016

by Nick Michell

Park Won-soon, the Mayor of Seoul and ICLEI President has won the 2016 Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development. Mayor Park received the award for his ongoing efforts to make Seoul a “Sharing City”.

“Cities provide a platform for sharing,” Won-soon, told Cities Today. “Seoul went through the first phase of infrastructure sharing such as roads and parks, and now we have reached the second phase of sharing which includes sharing of not only things and space but also information, knowledge and talents. Now, we are not only sharing space but also sharing all administrative information of Seoul Metropolitan Government with the citizens. We are also operating Sharing Hub, a website that shows all information about sharing economy.”

Won-soon has been Mayor of Seoul since 2011 and is a prominent figure in the process of creating better opportunities for sharing resources and information. Under his leadership, Seoul has taken a global lead in developing the Sharing City.

With his background as a human rights activist, Park Won-soon has also integrated social issues into the project. As a pioneer in this area, Seoul has developed various forms of effective sharing by changing regulations, mobilising the city’s underused resources and making information readily accessible. The city has also raised public awareness and supported companies and initiatives in the sharing of information and assets.

“We are helping creation of an ecosystem for sharing economy by supporting private companies that connect resources related to the citizens’ daily lives,” added Park Won-soon. “Businesses are supported through various ways. For example, we provide car-sharing businesses with public parking space and connect businesses that trade secondhand children’s clothes with daycare centers to promote sharing of children’s clothes.”

The Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development is the city’s international prize that recognises and supports work towards sustainable development. The first winner was selected in 2000.

Sharing resources makes it possible, for instance, to transport goods more efficiently and make public transport a more efficient way for people to travel. New ways of collaborating through open networks, the possibility of grassroots funding for projects, the ability to share information or even get free access to education online, are opening up new opportunities for global development to more and more people.

“Sharing City Seoul is based on the principle of reusing rather than constant production and consumption,” said Won-soon. “The great thing about creating circular economies is that they can create vibrant communities. By sharing, Seoul citizens will come together, which is a vital part of our vision for a sustainable urban future. I am happy to witness many city mayors are already working to move towards a circular economy, and I am committed to expanding these approaches through our city-to-city partnerships like the Compact of Mayors and the Global Lead City Network on Sustainable Procurement.”

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