Completion of Alleyway Regeneration Projects at 8 Sites Including Former Market Quarters in Sinheung-dong, Incheon

Incheon City announced on the 11th that it has completed a pilot project for the regeneration of alleyways in 8 locations across 6 districts, including the former market official residence area in Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, with a project cost of over 3 billion KRW.

This project differs from the existing urban regeneration projects that designate certain areas such as urban regeneration activation zones and regenerate them on a 'surface' unit basis. Instead, it is a small-scale, field-oriented regeneration project targeting a 'line' unit, focusing on alleyways with a length of about 1 km and a width of less than 10 meters. It aims to prevent slum formation and improve residents' living environments by regenerating areas with pedestrian roads less than 4 meters wide where reconstruction is difficult, and areas excluded from urban development such as redevelopment cancellations that suffer from poor residential conditions.

The eight project sites where regeneration was completed this time are the former market official residence area in Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu; Manseok-ro area in Manseok-dong, Dong-gu; Cheonghak Methodist Church area in Cheonghak-dong, Yeonsu-gu; 1028-10 area in Mansu 6-dong, Namdong-gu; Ilsin Market area in Bugae 1-dong, Bupyeong-gu; Bupyeong Girls' Middle School area in Bugae 2-dong, Bupyeong-gu; Kyungin National University of Education area in Gyesan 1-dong, Gyeyang-gu; and 115-1 area in Byeongbang-dong, Gyeyang-gu.

Incheon City renovated the road surface and signs in the school zone through an alleyway regeneration project in the area of 115-1, Byeongbang-dong, Gyeyang-gu.
[Photo provided by Incheon City]

The pilot project was implemented by dividing the aging alleyways with poor pedestrian environments within the urban living area into three types according to the local identity and characteristics: residential living type, alley commercial type, and historical theme type. Improvements included asphalt repaving, maintenance of safety signs, maintenance of facilities in child protection zones, refurbishment of small rest areas and parks, installation of Wi-Fi and other convenience facilities, installation of CCTV and other security facilities, design improvements of architectural accessories such as mural walls, and installation of common facilities like alleyway guide maps.

The biggest feature of alleyway regeneration is that residents can quickly experience small but practical changes. While existing urban regeneration projects are relatively large-scale and long-term, alleyway regeneration is carried out intensively on a small scale over two years, with rapid collection of residents' opinions through consultative bodies and active reflection of inconveniences and demands.

An official from Incheon City stated, "We will revitalize the alleyways, which are the capillaries of the downtown area, and expand this revitalization throughout the old downtown to activate the city as a whole. We plan to expand the alleyway regeneration project by soliciting new project sites from districts and counties in the second half of this year."

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