11 Playgrounds Named 'Jongno-type Playground' to Be Established by Next Year

Design Competition Conducted for 6 Sites Including Cheongun Park and Wonseo Park, Selected for Excellent Natural Environment and High Usage Among 11 Target Locations

Winning Design of ‘Wonseo Park Children's Playground’ Design Competition

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jongno-gu (District Mayor Kim Young-jong) is actively addressing the low birthrate issue at the community level by promoting the project “Making Jongno a Good Place to Raise Children.”

As part of this effort, the winning designs for the Jongno Our Neighborhood Playground project have been announced, and the creation of play spaces will be accelerated until December 2021.

This playground creation project in Jongno-gu focuses on distinctive and eco-friendly designs where children can freely run and play, rather than the previously standardized and uniform playgrounds. It also emphasizes the application of universal design (design for all people) that can be used by everyone regardless of age or gender, from infants to seniors.

Furthermore, the project aims to implement cooperative governance by encouraging participation and communication from children and residents throughout the entire process, from planning to management.

The project sites include a total of 11 locations: five in the western area?Cheongun Park, Naesu Eoul Park, Pyeongchang 1 Sports Ground, Pyeongchang 2 Sports Ground, and Susong Park?and six in the eastern area?Wonseo Park, Waryong Park, Changi Playground, Changsin Children’s Park, Sungin Park, and Sungin Playground.

Among these, the district is conducting design competitions for Cheongun Park, Pyeongchang 2 Sports Ground, and Susong Park in the western area, which have excellent natural environments and high usage rates, as well as for Wonseo Park, Changi Playground, and Sungin Park in the eastern area. The other five sites will undergo general design services.

The design competition process began with application submissions in April, followed by an on-site briefing session, and evaluations by a panel of experts. The winning designs were announced on the 12th of this month.

As a result, Hansu Greentec and Opard Architecture Research Institute were selected for the western area, while Jed Architects Office and the Myongji University College of Architecture team were chosen for the eastern area.

The western area winning design received praise from the judges for “the process and realization plan of introducing each playground space’s concept from history and the surrounding environment,” and for “a design that fosters adventurousness and challenge while stimulating imagination.”

The eastern area winning design was commended for “interesting ideas that encompass various social groups,” “a delicate approach to site conditions and excellence in planning completeness,” and “clear problem analysis of each location combined with realistic solutions and artistic qualities.”

The district plans to sign the detailed design contract and will additionally conduct resident opinion gathering, expert consultations, and interdepartmental coordination by September this year.

District Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “We are striving to prepare play spaces for children that befit Jongno’s status as a UNICEF Child-Friendly City,” adding, “Through this creation project, we will continuously develop resident complex spaces and natural, creative play areas accessible to everyone, like the Sanmaru Playground in the Changsin-Sungin area. We will endeavor to create a community that is good for raising children by utilizing the rich historical and cultural resources within the region.”

Sanmaru Playground, recognized as an excellent playground representing Jongno-gu, was honored with the Presidential Award at the “2019 National Land Grand Prize,” held to discover outstanding cases of Korea’s national landscape. Opened in May last year, this site 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.