Gwangju Seo-gu Geumho-dong Pedestrian Path Maintenance Resolves 'Resident Wish'

Before maintenance (left in the photo), after maintenance. Photo by Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Seo Daeseok) has achieved two goals by tearing down the closed apartment fence: resolving pedestrian inconvenience complaints and securing green space.

Seo-gu announced on the 5th that it has completed the "Fence Removal and Tree Planting" project at Kumho-dong Urban Corporation Complex 1.

This project is the second fence removal project on Geumhwa-ro 115beon-gil, following last year's Kumho Shiyoung Complex 3 project. It involved demolishing old and corroded iron fences and planting flowers and trees.

Geumhwa-ro 115beon-gil had narrow sidewalks about 1.5 meters wide when the residential land was developed, with fast-growing Metasequoia trees planted as street trees. Over more than 20 years, the tree trunks thickened and roots protruded, encroaching on the sidewalks.

This caused inconvenience not only for strollers and wheelchairs but also for general pedestrians, leading residents to request replacement of the street trees.

In response, since 2018, the district has held several on-site meetings with public officials, environmental groups, related committees, and residents to gather opinions and find solutions. As a result, they agreed to remove the fences to secure pedestrian space.

In particular, during the opinion gathering process, cooperation from residents was actively reflected through site visits to the Kumho Shiyoung Complex 3 apartment, which was well-received last year, and through representatives such as the apartment residents' association president.

The area where the fence was removed is now bordered by natural stones, and not only has the sidewalk widened, but a green space with beautiful flowers blooming between the stones has been created, making the steps of residents passing through lighter.

A Seo-gu official said, "The fence removal project can be seen as not only opening physical space but also opening the hearts of residents," adding, "We will continue to move forward with open administration that actively reflects residents' opinions."

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