Sustainable food networks in Ulsan Designing a collaborative service that connects local producers and consumers in Ulsan City

UNIST DHE, Ulsan Bukgu

Keywords: agricultural development, rural-urban links, community building

Ulsan, South Korea

Ulsan is one of the cities that are promoting sustainable food networks as an opportunity to revitalize local communities and to boost rural economies. The issue is how to transform the behaviors of consumers who are used to shopping at big supermarkets and to enlighten them with the benefits of sustainable consumption.

(source: Ulsan Nodongnews. Sept 7th, 2010)

In collaboration with the Ulsan Bukgu Municipality and a home appliance manufacturer, we are developing a collaborative service in which local farmers and consumers in the city are connected through smart home appliances. ICTs play a role to facilitate transformation towards sustainable food production and consumption.

Through participatory design approach, designers play the role of a facilitator who support local stakeholders to develop business models that are run by the communities, for the communities using the resources of the communities.

Design for Green Growth Training An international training on sustainable product service system design

GrAT, KNCPC

Keywords: community-based enterprises, networked enterprises

Austria, South Korea

Under the framework of Green Growth pursued by the South Korea government, a series of international trainings entitled “Design for Green Growth” were organized with an aim to disseminate the knowledge and experience of developing sustainable PSS models to the private sector.

In this training, designers, engineers, environmental practitioners, and strategy developers from more than 20 Korean leading manufacturers participated and explored a process to develop PSS models. As a result, the participants generated PSS models relevant to their current business domains.

Designers and design researchers play the role of an instructor to deliver knowledge and experiences on PSS and to facilitate the participants to generate service concepts that economically feasible and environmentally sustainable.