Gwangmyeong City climate action and smart city expansion

Gwangmyeong City has implemented various citizen-led climate initiatives that utilize economic incentives to encourage carbon-neutral actions. One such program is a donation campaign for the ‘Gwangmyeong-i’ public bicycle service, where 5,000 KRW is donated for every kilometer traveled. Managed by the Gwangmyeong Social Welfare Council, these funds are used to improve living environments for vulnerable households facing extreme heat and cold.

The city’s broader ‘1.5℃ Climate Volunteers’ program, which began in 2021, has grown to over 20,000 members. This initiative has reportedly reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1,042 tons. Due to the success of these local efforts—supported by legal ordinances and the ‘Climate Volunteer Carbon Savings Bank’—the South Korean government has adopted the Gwangmyeong model as the foundation for its national ‘Climate Citizen’ movement.

Expanding its technological infrastructure, the city has launched an 18 billion won smart city project aimed at data integration to proactively respond to climate disasters and promote carbon neutrality. The funding is split between 8 billion won in national funds from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 8 billion won in municipal funds, and private investment.

The initiative focuses on energy, transportation, safety, and data. Key components include installing a 250kW solar power facility at the Soha Drainage Pump Station, introducing eco-friendly demand-responsive buses, and deploying AIoT-based smart manholes and surface water level gauges for real-time flood monitoring. A new data integration platform will fuse 118 types of urban and administrative data to improve disaster prediction and manage carbon reduction via a local carbon trading platform.