Accelerating the Creation of 'Our Neighborhood Playground' in Jongno, Ideal for Raising Children

Existing local playgrounds and community sports spaces targeted... Sites selected considering facility aging and user accessibility... 11 locations in total, including 5 in the western area (Cheongun Park, Naesu Eoul Park, etc.) and 6 in the eastern area (Wonseo Park, Changsin Children's Park, etc.)

The 'Sanmaru Playground' in the Changsin-Sungin area, which won the Presidential Award last year

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) is promoting the "Jongno Our Neighborhood Playground" project targeting 11 existing playgrounds and community sports spaces within the area until December 2021 to create a child-friendly community.

Instead of uniform and standardized playgrounds, the project introduces distinctive and nature-friendly designs where children can freely run and play. It applies universal design (design for all people) that can be used by everyone regardless of age or gender, from toddlers to seniors. From planning to management, all processes will involve participation and communication between children and residents to implement collaborative governance.

The project sites total 11 locations: five in the western area including ▲Cheongun Park ▲Naesu Eoul Park ▲Pyeongchang 1 Playground ▲Pyeongchang 2 Playground ▲Susong Park, and six in the eastern area including ▲Wonseo Park ▲Waryong Park ▲Changi Playground ▲Changsin Children's Park ▲Sungin Park ▲Sungin Playground.

Sites were selected considering the degree of aging of existing facilities and user accessibility. Among them, six sites with excellent natural environments and high usage rates will undergo design competitions, while the other five will proceed with general design services.

To this end, the district received applications in April and held on-site briefings for each project site on the 7th. Design competition proposals for Our Neighborhood Playground will be accepted on June 3rd and 4th. After judging by a panel composed of public and environmental design experts and architects, the winning entries will be announced on the 12th of the same month, followed by awards and design services. The district plans to complete the renovation projects by the end of 2021.

For more detailed information regarding the design competition, please refer to the district office website (http://www.jongno.go.kr) or contact the Park Management Team of the Parks and Greenery Division.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “We are striving to prepare play spaces for children befitting Jongno’s status as a UNICEF Child-Friendly City. Through this project, we will continuously create resident complex spaces and nature-friendly, creative play areas accessible to everyone, like the ‘Sanmaru Playground.’ We will work hard to build a community that is good for raising children.”

The ‘Sanmaru Playground,’ recognized as an excellent playground representing Jongno-gu, won the Presidential Award at the ‘2019 National Land Competition,’ held to discover outstanding cases of Korea’s national landscape. Opened in May last year, it has been acknowledged domestically and internationally for creating a new concept of creative play space and serving as a complex cultural space accessible to children and local residents of various backgrounds, receiving much love from the Changsin-Sungin community.

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