Towards a Smarter Urban Park: Busan Citizens Park

Abstract

Among various types of external space, a park, which is a critical urban public infrastructure, must be planned and redeveloped as a smart park that can reflect new technologies rather than being designed and managed in a traditional way. This study sets Busan Citizens Park, a representative urban park of Busan in Korea, as a case study site and presents guidelines for transforming the existing park into a smart park. To set the direction for presenting the guideline for park smartization, the role and function of desirable urban park in the 4th industrial age are defined. After that, smart technologies concerning park management are comprehensively organized through precedent project studies and literature research to examine the applicability of smart technologies. Based on the information obtained through field surveys, manager interviews, specialist interviews, and literature review, the management and usage status of Busan Citizens Park are identified. In order to improve Busan Citizens Park into a smart urban park, we propose smart technologies that can be applied to five components of the park: furnishings and facilities, water, green space, pavement and roads, and users. This study also suggests ways to distinguish management as urban and local dimensions by categorizing the hierarchy of technologies as urban, park, and facility scale. In conclusion, this presents guidelines for the introduction of next-generation technologies that can be applied to urban parks as a way to actively respond to changes that have already begun.

Integrating Renewable-Based Solar Energy into Sustainable and Resilient Urban Furniture Coupled with a Logical Multi-Comparison Study of Cyprus and Saudi Arabia

“…As cities try to lessen their dependency on fossil fuels and implement solar energy, it is playing a bigger role in urban furniture thanks to more ecological practices. Cities can use renewable energy by incorporating solar panels into exterior fixtures like benches, trash cans, and streetlights [5]. Urban furniture driven by sunlight can assist lower energy expenses over time, which is one of its main advantages.…”

“…For instance, a study by [6] discovered that a bus stop powered by solar can save up to 40% on power expenses compared to conventional bus stops. Similarly, solar-powered streetlights can provide reliable and sustainable lighting for urban areas while also reducing carbon emissions [5]. Additionally, solar-powered urban pieces of furniture could offer a number of other advantages, such as offering electrical device charging stations or decreasing waste using solar-powered garbage compactors [7].…”