The Seoul Institute (SI) is a think-tank for the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG). Our institute produces policy proposals and recommend new programs for the SMG. More than 90 researchers with Ph.Ds in a variety of urban planning disciplines work tirelessly at the SI. The SI has now been about 30 years since the SI was established as the Seoul Development Institute in 1992. Seoul has been a dynamic city as the city has faced diverse challenges at different periods of time. The role of the SI has changed accordingly.

Seoul has come into spotlight as a city with innovative solutions to urban problems. Every year, officials from local governments in other countries or international organizations visit Seoul and the SI, interested in hands-on experience that Seoul can offer to cities around the world. They are also keen on original SI policy research studies. The SI has been active in sharing our research outcomes with other cities through international cities networks such as Megacity Think-Tank Alliance (MeTTA, http://global.si.re.kr/metta). 

This book deals with a range of fields in urban policy. It is divided into two parts: Part One (The Seoul Institute Annual Research Digest 2021·2022) provides brief summaries of 15 major research studies conducted in 2020 and 2021. Part Two (The Seoul Institute Annual Research Abstracts 2021) contains the abstracts of 54 research reports published in 2021. 

We hope this book provides a good reference to understand urban issues of Seoul and its innovative policy solutions with meaningful implications for cities around the world.