What Is the Story Behind Mapo-gu Yeonnam-dong Residents' Long-Awaited 'Alleyway Urban Regeneration'?

Successful Urban Regeneration Project Led by Active Resident Participation and Cooperation with Related Agencies: Continuous Consultations and Briefings to Actively Reflect Resident Opinions, Selecting Necessary Projects... Including City Gas Supply, Replacement of Aging Sewers, Alleyway Sidewalk Maintenance, and Green Space Development in Idle Areas

Alleyway Regeneration Project Resident Briefing Session

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) is attracting attention for successfully promoting the ‘Yeonnam-dong Alleyway Urban Regeneration Project’ by actively encouraging resident participation and fostering organic cooperation with related organizations.

The alleyway urban regeneration area around Donggyo-ro 51-gil (Yeonnam-dong) is a redevelopment cancellation zone that had long been left undeveloped, causing significant inconvenience to residents due to aging urban infrastructure.

To improve this, the district has been engaging with local residents since last year, listening to their opinions and going through multiple consultation processes to discover and select projects desired by the community in connection with the alleyway urban regeneration project.

During this process, the district actively reviewed plans to supply city gas?a long-standing wish of the residents in the area?which had repeatedly failed due to the residents’ older age demographics and the burden of self-payment costs.

By linking the alleyway urban regeneration project with Seoul City Gas’s active support, the district significantly reduced the residents’ self-payment costs to about one-third of the previous level, allowing the project to proceed smoothly.

Along with this, the district identified project tasks such as replacing old sewage pipelines, maintaining and relocating utility poles, repairing alleyway sidewalks, and greening idle spaces, and began construction in February to actively improve the environment.

Residents in the area responded, “We had to endure great inconvenience and risk by using briquettes and LP gas deliveries because city gas was not available, so we are glad that city gas is finally being supplied.”

Last year, the district also carried out the ‘Traditional Market-Linked Urban Regeneration Hope Project,’ a new type of urban regeneration project combining traditional market revitalization and residential area regeneration, for about seven months, conducting various activities to create a vibrant community.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “The Yeonnam-dong Alleyway Urban Regeneration Project was able to become a successful urban regeneration through active resident participation and organic cooperation with related organizations. We will continue to make efforts to improve residents’ quality of life through steady maintenance and management and communication with residents.”