What is the Gyeonggi-do Policy Market?

Gyeonggi province has its sights on distributing outstanding local policies. With the local administrations buying and selling superior policies, “Gyeonggi-do Policy Market” allows mutual exchange.

© 2020 SUWON CITY

Gyeonggi-do is challenging top-down policymaking traditions by pursuing new and innovative methods of exchange and cooperation. The Gyeonggi-do Policy Market is part of these efforts; it creates a platform for cities and counties to exchange policies and locally curated know-how through a people-centric approach.

When it comes to finding the right policies for cities and counties, there are times when one size does not fit all; each city and county is unique and has insights that help them formulate creative policies. Gyeonggi-do acknowledges that listening to and recognizing local voices and policies can have a big impact on the lives of local residents.

What is the Gyeonggi-do Policy Market?

The Gyeonggi-do Policy Market, one of the focal projects of Governor, is aimed at disseminating outstanding local policies. Through this project, the local administrations buy and sell superior policies in a space that allows mutual exchange.

The policies eligible for inclusion in the program are those that improve the basic rights of residents, solve social issues, help create new jobs, or facilitate the advancement of technology and the 4th Industrial Revolution.

The policies cover a variety of issues such as an early dementia detection cooperative with local clinics, pet insurance support, energy support during heatwaves, stream and valley protection programs, and more.

In the process of selecting outstanding policies, the province screens the submissions from cities/counties and selects the most suitable ones. Then the policies are voted on by Gyeonggi residents and reviewed by experts to finalize selections. It’s hoped that the policy market will help with the development of effective and fair policies appropriate for the different needs of every city and county in the province.

Outstanding Gyeonggi-do Policy Results

In 2019, three outstanding policies were selected from the cities of Goyang, Icheon, and Namyangju.

Goyang City’s submission was selected as the top policy; it includes plans to improve early dementia detection with the help of local clinics and hospitals. The program supports local residents over the age of 70, enabling them to take necessary dementia tests. This will allow the early diagnosis and treatment of dementia patients and improve the welfare of local elderly.

Icheon City’s integrated platform for different stages of life received the second place award. This platform includes useful information and welfare guides for different stages of an individual's life. The platform received praise for improving local attitude towards collective childcare.

Namyangju City’s policy targets the lack of professionals familiar with disabled infant care. To address the issue, Namyangju plans to cultivate infant care professionals and train them in disabled infant care.

Moving on, we’ll take a closer look at 2020’s top policies.

Suwon City’s Green Curtain Policy

This year, Suwon came out on top with its outstanding Green Curtain policy that can massively improve urban environments. The Green Curtain policy was initiated in Suwon in the year 2018 with the local government installing nets and ropes to allow vines to grow on the outer walls of certain buildings.

Suwon City's “Green Curtain Policy” won the grand prize in the “Gyeonggi-do Policy Market”
final screening this year.
ⓒ2020 SUWON CITY

In 2020, Green Curtains were installed on the walls of 40 public buildings. The data collected suggests that the indoor temperature of these buildings was lowered by about 4-5 degrees centigrade in summer, which can help reduce energy consumption in public buildings. In addition, it’s increased the ratio of plants and trees in everyday life spaces without requiring much land, thus improving resident happiness.

The Green Curtain policy is an alternative approach to increasing urban green zones and has already attracted much attention from other cities and counties.

Ansan’s Easy Commute Policy

Ansan City is improving its welfare policies to better support individuals with disabilities by extending mobility support programs to those with developmental issues, hearing impairments, and speaking disabilities. These individuals were not included in previous mobility support policies that targeted individuals with disabilities that directly interfered with their mobility.

Seongnam’s Drone Heat Map Policy

In a technologically advanced move, and to help battle the summer heat, Seongnam City has created a policy that puts drones to better use with the aim of improving weather forecasting and creating reliable databases. The city is using data systems to create heat maps based on data gathered from drone sensors. 

Gyeonggi-do Youth Policy Market

Uijeongbu Mongshil School’s self-governing youth council has hosted several Gyeonggi-do Youth Policy Markets. The Youth Policy Markets are events created to promote student awareness of policies and their effects on people’s everyday life; this creates a culture of participation by encouraging the sharing of new and innovative ideas. The ideas are created by local youths and offered to policy buyers including lawmakers, local government officials, and others.

View of Mongsil School self-governs youth council

ⓒ Insun Cho Gyeonggi Province

Last year, the event was attended by representatives of several provincial youth councils and a variety of children’s foundations.