Why Did Seocho-gu Operate the 'Clean Village Bus' and Create the Wind Path Forest?

149 Village Buses in the Area Equipped with External Front Dust Adsorption Filters and Internal Air Purification Filters
...Air Purifiers Installed on 47 Kindergarten and Daycare Buses, 7 Seocho-gu Senior Buses, and 5 Cultural Buses... Expanding Dust-Free Spaces in Daily Life, 7 Public Libraries as Dust-Free Zones, and 6 Seocho Eco Rest Areas in Parks Gaining Popularity... Creating Green "Wind Path Forests" Along High-Traffic Gangnam-daero and Yangjaecheon-ro for Future Generations to Reduce Dust

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Cho) is promoting a resident-experienced Seocho-type fine dust policy at the basic local government level, such as supporting the operation of clean buses to protect residents' safety and health, and creating clean spaces and wind path forests in the city center.

First, clean village buses began operation in January. The district attached fine dust adsorption filters to the front exterior of village buses for the first time nationwide, and installed air purification filters at the internal circulation air inlets of the village buses. The fine dust adsorption filters are applied to 149 village buses, and among them, 127 buses have additional air purification filters installed to purify both indoor and outdoor fine dust.

The district manages the operation of village buses within the area under its jurisdiction as clean buses to minimize fine dust exposure for many residents using public transportation.

In particular, the fine dust adsorption filters can reduce fine dust from automobile exhaust gases such as sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). After a pilot operation of the fine dust adsorption filters last year, the district requested analysis from the Korea Testing & Research Institute, which showed an annual fine dust reduction effect of 2,721.6g per square meter of filter.

This is equivalent to the fine dust reduction effect of about 76 five-year-old trees, and the district expects that attaching and operating the filters on 149 village buses will have the effect of reducing fine dust equivalent to 8,892 five-year-old trees.

The fine dust adsorption filter project was selected in March last year as part of Seoul City's fine dust reduction contest project, securing related budgets, and the district was able to save budget by receiving the adsorption filters free of charge from a private company.

In addition to village buses, the district supports the installation of air purifiers on kindergarten and daycare center school buses, senior citizen buses, and cultural buses circulating through senior centers and welfare centers within Seocho-gu to operate them as clean buses. This is to protect the health of children and the elderly who are vulnerable to fine dust.

This is in accordance with the "Ordinance on Prevention and Reduction of Fine Dust in Seocho-gu, Seoul," which was amended in July last year to enable financial support to protect the health of vulnerable groups to fine dust. A total of 97 air purifiers are installed on 47 kindergarten and daycare center school buses, 5 senior citizen buses, and 7 cultural buses to remove harmful gases inside the buses and provide clean air.

Furthermore, the district is expanding safe spaces free from fine dust in residents' daily lives. Seven public libraries are being transformed into fine dust liberation zones equipped with air purifiers, oxygen generators, and air-purifying plants, and six local parks operate indoor spaces called "Seocho Eco Shelter" equipped with air purifiers. The "Seocho Eco Shelter," which has been operating since April last year, is highly popular year-round as a community space, equipped not only with air purifiers but also air curtains at entrances, heating and cooling systems, ondol floors, books, children's blocks, and Bluetooth radios.

Moreover, for future generations, the district is creating and nurturing green "wind path forests," which are fine dust reduction street forests, along the heavily trafficked Gangnam-daero and Yangjaecheon-ro. A "wind path forest" is a forest that supplies fresh air generated in the mountains to urban living areas along wind paths such as rivers and roads. The district has created a green wind path corridor connecting the wind-generating forest of Umyeonsan Mountain and green spaces next to residential areas.

Along Gangnam-daero, a total of 16,729 trees, including 299 tall trees and 16,430 short trees, and 17,000㎡ of herbaceous plants were planted, and 3,820㎡ of bare land under trees along Yangjaecheon-ro was completely covered to fundamentally block soil dust generation. The creation of the wind path forest is expected to be the most sustainable and effective method to lower fine dust concentration and improve the quality of life for pedestrians and residents along the main roads.

In addition, the district continues projects that alleviate residents' concerns about fine dust in daily life, such as creating safe childcare environments focusing on daycare centers vulnerable to fine dust, designating and managing special fine dust control zones around reconstruction area construction sites, implementing a citizen notification service through an IoT-based fine dust measurement network, operating a fine dust reduction certification system for newly built apartment complexes with more than 100 households, and strengthening road watering facilities and street cleaning.

Seocho-gu Mayor Eunhee Cho said, "Alongside national and city-level fine dust policies, we will maximize the advantages of the autonomous district and carry out resident-centered projects that reflect residents' voices." She added, "We hope that sincere administration aimed at protecting residents' health from fine dust will reassure residents and help reduce fine dust even a little."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.