From the Urban Dignity and Aesthetics...

Nowon-gu Establishes Public Facility Management and Design Standards

Replacing street fences with green belts, replacing aging central dividers, and promoting underground wiring of overhead lines

Establishing landscape improvement plans around subway stations, maximizing project effects by combining with signboard improvement projects

Striving to establish standard designs for construction site barriers, safety fences, and street vendors

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will drastically improve urban aesthetics and landscape to enhance the city's dignity and create a pleasant living environment for residents.

There have been complaints about pedestrian inconvenience due to sidewalks narrowed by piled-up items and signboards, and cases where aesthetics were impaired by illegal advertisements and neglected damaged trees and public facilities.

Accordingly, the district is preparing design standards and establishing a comprehensive urban aesthetics inspection system by planning inspections and maintenance of public facilities. The project will be promoted in three areas: ▲streets ▲landscape and signboards ▲establishment of standard designs.

First, major streets will be maintained. Except for necessary locations, street fences will be removed and replaced with eco-friendly green belts. The existing single-species green belts will be supplemented with a ‘street flowerbed type’ to add vibrancy.

The central divider between Nowon Station and Sanggye Station will also be maintained. Since it was last maintained in 2008, the facilities have aged, and five different designs are mixed, so a standard design will be selected and replaced uniformly. In addition, overhead lines scattered throughout the area will be intensively managed this year around Noil Elementary School in Sanggye 1-dong and Dokkaebi Market in Gongneung 1-dong according to the maintenance plan.

A four-year landscape improvement plan will be established around subway stations with high foot traffic, maximizing project effects by combining with signboard improvement projects. The initial project targets are ▲Gongneung Station to Taereung Entrance Station ▲Nowon Station (Line 4) ▲Nowon Station (Line 7) ▲Sanggye Station ▲Danggogae Station, which will be maintained sequentially. New facility installations will be avoided, and duplicate facilities will be integrated.

Since last year, the district has been promoting signboard and landscape improvement projects along Dongil-ro from Gongneung Station to Taereung Entrance Station. So far, 119 illegal signboards around Gongneung Station have been replaced, piled-up items cleared, and 107 landscape improvements completed, including the creation of retaining walls and stair rest areas along the Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail. Replacement of 213 signboards along Dongil-ro is underway, and improvement projects around Nowon Station Line 4 will begin in the second half of this year. Signboard improvements will be promoted for 270 businesses, and 37 landscape-damaging issues such as bus stops obstructing pedestrian paths, bollards, and unauthorized buildings will be addressed.

Finally, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Nowon-gu Public Design Promotion Ordinance, facilities subject to public design review will be installed with unified designs after consultation and review by the responsible departments. The district also designed a ‘Nowon-style street vendor’ standard to prevent disorderly expansion and tent installations of street vendors and to create designs that harmonize with the local environment. A pilot installation will be conducted under the Nowon Station overpass this year and gradually expanded.

To ensure continuous management of urban aesthetics and landscape improvement projects, the district will create management cards for 102 types of public facilities under the jurisdiction of 18 departments and establish a bulletin board on the internal network for frequent updates. The general department will inspect quarterly and chart maintenance achievements by area for management. Additionally, ‘Salpimi Teams’ will operate for each facility to detect inconveniences in residents’ daily lives early and respond promptly.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “I believe the unique details of the cultural city Nowon will make a big difference,” and added, “We will pay close attention to every detail to raise the district’s dignity and do our best to satisfy residents.”

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