Yongsan-gu Huam-dong Alleyway Reborn Anew

Regeneration Work Around Duteokbawi-ro 40-gil... Seoul City Invests 870 Million KRW, Construction from August to December
... Installation of Safety Facilities, Alley and Stair Maintenance, Landscape Improvement, etc.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Huam-dong Alleyway is Reborn”

Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) is carrying out a regeneration project in the area of Duteopbawi-ro 40-gil in Huam-dong as part of Seoul City’s ‘Alleyway Regeneration Project.’

The project aims to improve the aging and steep alleyway environment and enhance the quality of life for residents.

The construction section is 430 meters long, 2 to 6 meters wide, covering an area of 9,365㎡, including Duteopbawi-ro 40-gil and some adjacent alleyways. The construction cost is 870 million KRW from Seoul City’s budget.

The main construction contents include installation of safety facilities, alley and stair maintenance, and landscape improvement.

First, safety facilities such as security lights (28 locations), closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) (8 locations), snow removal equipment (11 locations), emergency fire extinguishing equipment (8 locations), and standalone fire alarm detectors (50 locations) will be newly installed or replaced. This is expected to significantly prevent safety accidents that may occur during fires, heavy snowfall, or nighttime passage.

Alleyways and stairs will also be maintained. Plans include asphalt paving (1,100㎡), design paving (1,100㎡), floor logo installation (4 locations), stair maintenance (4 locations), handrail installation and replacement (101m), and slope maintenance (1,739㎡). Sewers and rainwater drains will also be replaced, and small flower beds will be created here and there.

Additionally, for landscape improvement, mailbox installation in residential areas (67 locations), replacement of rain gutters (66 locations), and painting work on fences (242m), exterior walls (345m), and gates (53 locations) will be carried out. The Hwalteo-gol Senior Center located at the end of the alley (Huam-dong 406-43) will have its fence and flower beds newly maintained. It is expected to be reborn as a resting place for residents with benches and scenic spaces.

A district official said, “Considering single female households, two unmanned parcel lockers will be installed at the alley entrances,” adding, “We will introduce Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) techniques to simultaneously improve aesthetics and prevent crime.”

Duteopbawi-ro 40-gil in Huam-dong was selected as a pilot site for the city’s alleyway regeneration project at the end of 2017. Since then, the district has continued procedures such as establishing an implementation plan over two years, collecting residents’ opinions, holding residents’ briefings, building community foundations, and conducting implementation plan research.

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Unlike large-scale urban regeneration projects that involve huge budgets, the alleyway regeneration project involves a ‘small budget’ of around 1 billion KRW,” and added, “We will continue to expand the project areas.”

The district is also promoting alleyway regeneration projects in Itaewon 2-dong (areas around Sowol-ro 40-gil and Sowol-ro 44-gil) and Yongsan 2-ga-dong (area around Sowol-ro 20-gil). These sites were selected through city competitions last year and this year, respectively. In the case of Itaewon 2-dong, a master plan will be established this year, and construction will proceed next year. Construction in Yongsan 2-ga-dong is scheduled for the year after next.

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