Gwangju City Invests 8.3 Billion Won to Improve Urban Park Forest Environment

Gwangju City Hall

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 24th that it will invest a total of 8.3 billion KRW this year to improve the urban park forest environment.

Gwangju City plans to focus on managing urban parks, whose importance has been further highlighted due to COVID-19, by providing citizens with open green spaces. The city will maintain convenience facilities such as benches, pergolas, restrooms, and trees at project sites requested by autonomous districts according to the schedule.

Major projects to improve the safety and environment of urban parks include ▲creating green space living environment forests to respond to the reduction of urban forest areas and environmental pollution (6 locations, 1 billion KRW) ▲maintaining facility green spaces to improve the urban landscape by enhancing the natural environment (2 locations, 300 million KRW) ▲improving urban park facilities that are popular and frequently used by citizens (9 locations, 1.7 billion KRW) ▲urban park maintenance reflecting citizen participation budget based on opinions from citizens on site (9 locations, 260 million KRW).

In particular, projects requiring routine management such as cleaning, mowing, pruning, as well as replacing security lights and maintaining benches and restrooms include ▲urban park management (444 locations, 4 billion KRW) ▲operation of music fountains in urban parks, which are popular during summer (3 locations, 900 million KRW) ▲facility green space management (107 locations, 1 billion KRW).

Gwangju City allocated the project funds to autonomous districts by the 20th to expedite park environment improvements.

Going forward, each autonomous district plans to begin park management from next month after completing procedures such as design for each target site.

Shin Jae-wook, head of the City Park and Greenery Division, said, “We will do our best to create a pleasant park environment so that citizens exhausted from COVID-19 can rest in urban parks around their living areas.”