Residents Respond Positively to Creation of 'Walkable Path' on Backstreet of Surak Hanshin Apartment in Nowon-gu

A narrow path crossing the boundary between Surakhan Shin Apartment and Joheung Han Shin Apartment, opened 26 years ago to secure a passageway, but its winding shape has increased accident risks, causing it to lose its road function

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has received great response from residents by transforming a road that had lost its function and was neglected into a walking trail.

The newly created walking trail is located at Dongil-ro 242ma-gil in Sanggye 1-dong. This is a side road crossing the boundary between Surak Hanshin Apartment and Joheung Hanshin Apartment. It was opened 26 years ago to secure a passageway, but due to its winding shape and high risk of accidents, the road lost its function.

The district has been promoting the “Hanshin Apartment Walkable Street Creation” project since January last year to return the neglected space to the residents.

After completing the traffic regulation review for conversion to a pedestrian-only road in July last year, the district held a residents’ briefing session to gather opinions, started construction in January this year, and completed it on the 14th.

Along the 600㎡ section (length 150m, width 3.5m~4.5m), trees such as Japanese snowbell, Korean dogwood, and azaleas were planted, and flower beds were created with herbaceous plants. Two pocket rest areas were created at the two curved junctions by installing benches and exercise equipment.

The old pavement was repaved with blending blocks, and the fence, which was originally planned to be demolished, was found to be in good condition after a safety consultation, so it was not torn down but treated with spraying to create a stone wall effect.

The Hanshin Apartment Walkable Street connects to Nowongol Design Street, the starting point of the Suraksan Mountain hiking trail, providing a tranquil space not only for residents but also for hikers visiting Suraksan Mountain.

Meanwhile, the district is also focusing on securing daily rest spaces through the Apartment Open Green Space Project, which involves demolishing apartment fences and turning paths within complexes into public walkways and open rest areas.

Last year, a 177m fence near Cheongbaek 3 Complex (Wolgye 2-dong), which was a major school route for kindergartens and elementary to high schools but lacked sidewalks and posed a high risk of accidents, was demolished with residents’ cooperation and transformed into an open rest area. By eliminating blind spots caused by the fence, securing a safe school route, and providing a comfortable resting place, residents have shown high satisfaction.

This year, three sites including Hanshin-dongseong Apartment (Hagye 1-dong) have applied for the Apartment Open Green Space Project, and the Walkable Street project is expected to continue expanding.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “For busy modern people, walking paths are precious healing spaces that provide rest and leisure,” adding, “We plan to continuously expand the creation of daily rest spaces to improve residents’ health and emotional well-being.”

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