The Department of Automotive and Transportation Design at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) is launching an industry-academia collaboration project in mobility design in partnership with PriestmanGoode (PG), a UK-based mobility design firm.

This industry-academia collaboration project was designed to propose mobility solutions that address Seoul’s urban sprawl and traffic congestion. It focused on exploring ways to build a user-centered mobility ecosystem based on Seoul’s traffic conditions and the Seoul 2050 Grand Plan.

△ The PriestmanGoode design team, including Design Lead Seognjun Ko, Sam Johnson, and Associate Director Lee Harding—the project leads from PriestmanGoode, a UK-based mobility design firm

The project will analyze changes in the mobility environment and traffic issues resulting from urban sprawl—a phenomenon common to megacities worldwide—and propose new mobility solutions to address these challenges. Specifically, it will operate as a one-year industry-academia collaboration project that examines user mobility experiences and services with a focus on public transportation and shared mobility, while simultaneously designing new mobility devices and infrastructure.

Through this project, Kookmin University plans to explore ways to expand the results derived from Seoul into a flexible model that can be applied to building mobility ecosystems in major cities such as London, Shanghai, and New York. It is expected that this will enable students to gain a practical understanding of Seoul’s urban space and transportation environment while developing design capabilities to address global urban issues.

Upon completion of the project, outstanding students will be offered design internship opportunities at PG’s headquarters in London, UK. Kookmin University aims to provide students with opportunities for international practical experience and further expand the department’s foundation for global industry-academia collaboration.

Lee Harding, Associate Director at PG, stated, “I am deeply honored to launch this collaborative project with Kookmin University,” adding, “I am very much looking forward to working with the students on this forward-looking mobility design project that addresses the major challenges facing expanding cities.” He continued, “I hope this project will yield creative and in-depth results, and I am keen to see how students research Seoul’s urban spaces and translate them into user-experience-centered designs.”

Professor Roe Jae-seung of the Department of Automotive and Transportation Design at Kookmin University remarked, “This project will serve as an opportunity to gain a practical understanding of the transportation environment in major metropolitan areas, including Seoul, and to propose new mobility designs based on that understanding.” He added, “We expect that collaboration with a global company will enhance students’ practical skills and contribute to strengthening the department’s international competitiveness.”