Gwanak-gu Takes Initiative to Revitalize Neighborhood Commercial Districts by Region... How?

Implementation of Local Commercial Area Revitalization Research Service, Selection of 10 Alley Commercial Areas with 2 Sites Each in 5 Zones... Support for Specialized, Resident-Oriented, and Surrounding Commercial Area-Linked Types by Alley Characteristics until June 2022

Sillim-ro 11-gil

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is preparing the ‘Gwanak-gu District-by-District Alley Commercial Area Revitalization Plan’ to help the alley commercial areas, which are the livelihood bases of local merchants, develop into sustainable commercial districts, thereby injecting vitality into these alley commercial areas.

Mayor Park Jun-hee stated, “Small businesses with fewer than 10 employees account for 94.5% of all businesses, making small merchants the backbone of the local economy,” and added, “We have established a support plan to revitalize alley commercial areas to ease the hardships of small merchants and self-employed business owners who serve as the lifeblood of our economy,” emphasizing an inclusive economy that brings happiness to all.

The district plans to break away from the traditional market and shopping street-centered commercial revitalization support and instead support the alley commercial areas, which are the foundation of small merchants and the local economy, to solidify the basic strength of Gwanak-gu’s commercial districts.

From September last year to March this year, a ‘Research Service for the Revitalization of Gwanak-gu Local Commercial Areas’ was conducted to collect current data on local commercial areas, aiming to revitalize representative alley commercial areas by district before the end of the 7th local government term in June 2022.

Based on residents’ living activity areas, the district was divided into five zones: Nakseongdae, University, Nangok, Bongcheon, and Sillim. Using Seoul City’s Our Neighborhood Store Commercial Area Analysis Service, among 64 alley commercial areas, those with a higher number of stores, resident population behind the commercial area above the district average, and high store density were selected as major alley commercial areas.

The major alley commercial areas designated are two locations per district, totaling 10: ▲Nakseongdae District - Nakseongdae Station Road, Haengun Road ▲University District - Sillim-ro 11-gil, Sillim-ro 28-gil ▲Nangok District - Nambu Sunhwan-ro 151-gil, Jowon Jungang-ro 2-gil ▲Bongcheon District - Jungang-gil, Cheongnyong-gil ▲Sillim District - Sillim-dong-gil, Dang-gok-gil. The project will be actively promoted.

First, the district plans to commonly establish a self-sustaining commercial area foundation by providing support such as merchant organization and consulting, infrastructure development including road and sculptural installations, and brand development and marketing projects to improve the business environment in the 10 selected major alley commercial areas.

Subsequently, based on the characteristics of each alley commercial area, they will be classified into specialized, resident-focused, and surrounding commercial area-linked types, and selective support will be provided to strengthen customized commercial competitiveness.

Specialized alley commercial areas are those that can be linked with nearby regional resources, including ▲Sillim-ro 11-gil (University-dong) ▲Nakseongdae Station Road (Inheon-dong) ▲Sillim-dong-gil (Sillim-dong). These areas will offer themed alley streets and specialized spaces to attract many external customers as well as local residents.

Neighborhood alleys frequently used by local residents, such as ▲Haengun Road (Haengun-dong) ▲Sillim-ro 28-gil (Seorim-dong) ▲Jungang-gil (Jungang-dong), are classified as resident-focused alley commercial areas, supporting community activities centered on merchants and local residents and creating hub spaces that provide convenience services for residents.

Currently, traditional markets and shopping streets are concentrated in ▲Dang-gok-gil (Boramae-dong) ▲Cheongnyong-gil (Cheongnyong-dong) ▲Nambu Sunhwan-ro 151-gil (Sinsa-dong) ▲Jowon Jungang-ro 2-gil (Jowon-dong). These are surrounding commercial area-linked alleys that will create synergy effects for commercial revitalization through joint promotional marketing support with nearby commercial areas and the promotion of representative events and activities.

A total budget of 2.08 billion KRW will be invested in the major alley commercial area revitalization projects by district, and the district plans to avoid the past simple administrative support approach and maximize project satisfaction and effectiveness by encouraging active participation of merchants and local residents in the project process.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Through this project, we hope to create alley commercial areas unique to Gwanak-gu that satisfy both merchants and residents and provide some help to merchants who have suffered greatly due to COVID-19,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to strengthen the self-sustainability of local commercial areas and help them grow into sustainable alley commercial areas.”

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