Jungnang-gu Creates 20 Women’s Safe Return Paths

Residents Directly Propose Creating Women’s Safe Return Paths in Junghwadong Bonghwasanro33-gil Area with Participatory Budgeting... Establishing a More Secure Living Safety Zone Using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Techniques

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] “Not only for commuting, but also when going to the mart or exercising, I pass this way, and it used to feel a bit dark and unsafe. But the district office took care to create such a beautiful path, so the alleyway is now bright, and above all, I feel very safe walking here,” said Ms. Ha, a resident of Junghwa-dong, Jungnang-gu.

Jungnang-gu (District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) is receiving great responses from residents for creating women’s safe return paths. The women’s safe return paths are selected by the district office as major routes with high crime anxiety, and the project is carried out in collaboration with related organizations and local residents. In Jungnang-gu, a total of 20 women’s safe return paths have been established.

The area around Bonghwasan-ro 33-gil, newly designated as a women’s safe return path, is a road connected to the Bonghwasan trail. Since many women use it alone for walking or hiking, it was exposed to crime risks.

To ensure the successful creation of the safe return path, the district office conducted thorough monitoring and collected residents’ opinions together with the Jungnang Police Station. Since August, the project has been actively promoted by installing 112 emergency call location signs, road surface markings to identify the women’s safe return path, alley floor lighting, reflectors, and mirror sheets, creating an alleyway safe from crime.

In particular, this project completed environmental improvements using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) techniques. It is especially meaningful as local residents directly proposed the project, which was realized through the residents’ participatory budget.

Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “I hope this women’s safe return path will become a route where residents can walk with peace of mind. We will continue to check risk and anxiety factors felt during late-night returns home and do our best to create a safe Jungnang-gu.”

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