Seoul Alleyway Revitalization Project... "City Gas Installed After 40 Years"

At the far end of the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail in Yeonnam-dong, a 'hot place' in Seoul popular among young people, there is a dense cluster of about 60 low-rise houses. This area, known as 'Yeonnam-dong Semo-gil' (around Donggyo-ro 51-gil, Mapo-gu), is located in the heart of the city but has not been supplied with city gas, forcing about 90 residents to rely on briquettes or oil boilers for heating. The Seoul Metropolitan Government conducted an 'Alleyway Urban Regeneration Project' in this residential area, which is over 40 years old, and by the end of last year finally enabled the supply of city gas and replaced the foul-smelling sewage pipes.

According to the city on the 16th, through the alleyway regeneration project that began in 2018, the living environment of 10 villages in Seoul that are over 30 years old has been improved. Unlike existing large-scale regeneration projects that designate a certain area and proceed on a 'surface' basis, the alleyway regeneration project is a 'field-oriented small-scale' regeneration project conducted on a 'line' basis within 500m to 1km along alleyways. Each region receives a total of 1 billion KRW in seed money over three years. Compared to existing urban regeneration projects, this project is carried out intensively over a short period, allowing for rapid formation of resident councils, collection of opinions, and reflection of those opinions.

In Yeonnam-dong Semo-gil, the 'Semo-gil Residents' Council,' composed of residents, quickly gathered residents' inconveniences and wishes to establish plans, and with active support from the city in terms of project funds, the long-cherished issues of city gas supply and aging sewage pipes were resolved. In another project area, Dutupbawi-ro 40-gil in Yongsan-gu, stairs were installed in an alley that was old, steep, and difficult to climb without handrails, and streetlights were replaced to ensure safety during nighttime.

In Yongdap 21-gil, Seongdong-gu, sewage pipes that were over 20 years old were completely replaced, and rain gutters from each house were directly connected to the sewage pipes to solve odor and sewage problems. Residents here held open discussions to address the issue of indiscriminate garbage disposal and established and operate 'Clean Promise Points' by designating garbage disposal spaces in front of each gate.

Additionally, with support from the 'Seoul Beautiful House Repair' program, a total of 21 houses across the 10 project sites were remodeled to improve residential environments. In the area around Samil-daero 32-gil, Jongno-gu, a resident rest area called 'Ikseon Gonggam' was created by utilizing abandoned vacant land.

The city is currently conducting alleyway regeneration projects in a total of 46 locations. The results of this first project will be carefully analyzed and applied to other sites, and new measures such as promoting small-scale architecture will also be developed.

Ryu Hoon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Urban Regeneration Office, said, "The goal is to regenerate alleyways that have been easily neglected to improve residents' quality of life. Like stimulating acupoints to open circulation pathways, we will revitalize the alleyways, which are the capillaries of Seoul, so that the entire city can be evenly revitalized."

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