In 2007, the city architect system in architecture and urban planning(hereafter, city architect system) has been established for the architects and urban designers to participate in design competitions and urban development projects through the enactment of the ‘Framework Act on Building,’ along with their qualification criteria, roles and responsibilities, and remuneration prescribed in its enforcement decree (Article 21, Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Building).

The city architect system is a ‘cooperative management system for design’ in which external experts support the administration (of local governments) for the effective operation and management of various public projects. Even though various divisions in a local government are related in public projects, it is not always easy for them to carry out those projects while linking, coordinating, and cooperating with each other. In addition, although the initial planning stage of such a project is very important, the local governments are

not aware of the importance, not to mention of the lack of the expertise in the planning itself. As a result, similar projects may be double-planned, or an excessive design can be applied that does not meet the local condition, or frequent changes on the design may happen in the design and construction stages. All of these result in a waste of budget and poor design quality for public projects.

The city architect system has been introduced to solve above structural problems of public projects and their administration. In other words, the architects and urban designers participate in public projects of the local governments to strengthen the planning stage, to improve the process in ordering, to secure quality in the design and construction stages, and to adapt the operating system to the local conditions so that various divisions in the local government can cooperate.