Gangnam-gu Revitalizes Crime-Prone Area Neglected for 10 Years as Walking Trail

Creation of the "Yangjaecheon Garden Road" in Gaepo 3-dong

Gangnam-gu in Seoul (Mayor Cho Sungmyung) has transformed the area in front of the Gaepo 3-dong Eastern Road Office, which had been neglected for over a decade and raised concerns about becoming a crime-prone zone, into the new "Yangjaecheon Garden Road."

Yangjaecheon Garden Road. Provided by Gangnam-gu.

The problematic section is a sloped pedestrian path connecting nearby residential areas and Daejin Elementary School to Yangjaecheon, and is frequently used by local residents. Although the land is owned by the city, it had remained unused and neglected, leading to numerous complaints about long-term illegal parking, garbage dumping, and motorcycle traffic. In particular, since this road was not officially designated as a roadway, it was a blind spot where even illegal parking enforcement was difficult, and combined with security concerns, it had been cited as a representative example of urban blight.

Gangnam-gu established a collaborative system involving multiple departments-roads, parking, public design-as well as the police and related organizations such as the Seoul Water Recycling Facility Corporation, to address the issue. The area was officially designated as a road to provide a legal basis for illegal parking enforcement, and through administrative execution, all vehicles and waste were completely cleared. The space was then converted into an ecological rest area.

The "Gaepo 3-dong Yangjaecheon Garden Road" covers a maintenance section of approximately 260 meters, and is notable for its reuse of existing concrete protective blocks rather than discarding them. The blocks were repaired and repurposed as planters, benches, lighting, and exercise facilities.

The pedestrian-only road leading from the slope to Yangjaecheon now offers a safe and aesthetically pleasing walking environment at night, thanks to landscaping lights, road markers, and other lighting. The retaining wall area with deck stairs ascending to Yangjaecheon has been transformed into a bright and lively art walkway, featuring a floor media screen using a logo projector and wind-activated art installations on the fence. An "energy block," which converts foot pressure into energy to power lights, has also been introduced as a pilot project.

The issue of motorcycle traffic, which was a major source of resident complaints, is also expected to be resolved. The pedestrian-only section has been designated in cooperation with the police, and bollards have been installed to block motorcycle entry. Security cameras have also been installed to alleviate residents' concerns.

For this project, the Digital City Division oversaw space creation and design planning, the Road Management Division improved the walking environment with pavement work, and the Parking Management Division carried out enforcement. Suseo Police Station supported the designation of motorcycle-free and pedestrian-only zones, while the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Tancheon Water Recycling Center also cooperated.

Mayor Cho Sungmyung of Gangnam-gu stated, "This project is a good example of proactively resolving local issues through active administration and returning a new healing space to residents. Going forward, we will continue to use residents' inconveniences as the starting point for our projects, working together to transform urban spaces and enhance quality of life through Gangnam-style empathetic design."

Before and after improvement. Provided by Gangnam-gu.

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