Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Department of Housing Environment (Chair Jang Mi-seon) has launched a project to return the department's outstanding infrastructure to the local community, receiving strong support.

The Department of Housing Environment announced on December 20 that, together with the Jeonju City Housing Welfare Center and as part of a National University development project, it participated in a demonstration project to improve the living spaces of vulnerable households in the region and improved the housing conditions of three vulnerable households.

On December 20, some 40 people — including students who participated in the project, officials from local government and related regional organizations, and cooperating construction firms — attended a move-in ceremony for the households whose housing improvements were completed.

JBNU's Department of Housing Environment launched this demonstration project this year to return its various strengths in residential environment improvement to areas where they can benefit the community. In collaboration with the Jeonju City Housing Welfare Center, the department identified beneficiary households and prepared user-centered spatial improvement plans. Since July, it has improved housing conditions at three sites — including a home where a visually impaired child and her great-grandmother live, an elderly couple with a spinal disability, and a rotational rental unit for housing-vulnerable residents of Jeonju — through collaboration with local government, related organizations, construction companies, and contractors.

In particular, students from the Department of Housing Environment participated directly in each case. The projects began during the summer break and continued as extracurricular projects during the semester. The students felt greatly rewarded as they donated their specialized knowledge and skills to the local community.

The project has been praised not only for improving the actual quality of life and ensuring spatial safety for vulnerable groups, but also for providing a platform for students majoring in housing environment to engage with local issues and participate in real improvement projects, thereby fostering interdisciplinary intellect, enhancing design and logical thinking, and helping them grow into regionally specialized problem-solvers.

In particular, through comprehensive collaboration among the university, local governments, related companies, and donor organizations, the program sought support connections and solutions for spatial improvements in areas requiring problem-solving. It is expected to be replicated as a model of mutual growth between the university and the local community.

This project was submitted this year as an exemplary case of JBNU's National University development project and, in recognition of its contribution to housing welfare for low-income households, JBNU's Department of Housing Environment was recommended as a candidate for the Jeonbuk Province Governor's Commendation.

Jang Mi-seon, Chair of the Department of Housing Environment, said, "This project, through close collaboration between the university and related regional organizations and the participation of our Department of Housing Environment students, resolves housing problems of vulnerable families and serves as a model of university–community cooperation leading to tangible contributions to the local community." She added, "Building on the positive experiences from this year's inaugural project, we will refine the implementation plan to enable more effective future execution, and the department's faculty and students will combine their capabilities to identify and carry out various other projects that can contribute to realizing spatial welfare in the local community."