Dark and Unsafe Alleys Transformed: Gwangmyeong City Completes Soha 2-dong Alleyway Landscape Improvement

875 Meters of Alleys Refurbished as Part of Urban Regeneration Project
Design Paving and Solar Markers Installed for Safety and Convenience

The alleyways in the old downtown residential area of Soha 2-dong, Gwangmyeong City, have been transformed into bright and pleasant streets.

An old downtown residential area in Soha 2-dong, Gwangmyeong City, where the alleyway scenery has been improved through design packaging and the installation of solar cover bottles. Provided by Gwangmyeong City

On August 14, Gwangmyeong City announced that it had completed the alleyway landscape improvement project in Soha 2-dong, which was promoted as part of the ‘The Dream Urban Regeneration Project’, and held a completion ceremony at Ori Children’s Park on August 13.

The ‘The Dream Urban Regeneration Project’ is a Gyeonggi Province-style urban regeneration initiative promoted by the 8th popularly elected administration of Gyeonggi Province to revitalize old downtown areas that are excluded from redevelopment projects for aging planned cities. The old downtown area of Soha 2-dong, covering 276,000 square meters, was selected for the project in 2023, and until last month, various efforts such as road maintenance, repairs of aging houses, and community revitalization projects were carried out.

This landscape improvement project was implemented to address the safety vulnerabilities caused by the lack of distinction between sidewalks and roadways, as well as the inconvenience of walking at night due to poor lighting in the alleyways.

The city invested 320 million won to apply design paving to approximately 875 meters (4,800 square meters) of alleys around Yeongdang-ro 21beon-gil. By paving pedestrian zones in blue, the city clearly distinguished them from vehicle lanes, thereby enhancing safety. In addition, ‘solar cover bottles’ that store solar energy during the day and illuminate with LED lights at night were installed along road boundaries and lane markers to improve nighttime pedestrian safety.

The roads around senior centers, frequented by elderly residents, were also improved with design paving. The old fence at Ori Children’s Park was replaced, and solar sensor lights were installed at waste sorting stations to enhance convenience.

In particular, the city carried out exterior wall painting through home repair support for 11 multi-family buildings along Yeongdang-ro 21beon-gil, where the landscape improvement work was conducted, further enhancing the environmental impact of the project.

Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong City, stated, “This alleyway improvement project will serve as an opportunity to create a foundation where residents can live with peace of mind,” adding, “We will continue to support efforts to improve the safety and convenience of alleyways, as well as the quality of life and vitality of the community.”

Meanwhile, following Soha 2-dong, the Gwangmyeong 3-dong area was also selected last month for the ‘The Dream Urban Regeneration Project’ grant program and plans to carry out projects for the improvement of aging neighborhoods and revitalization of the local community.

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