Yongsan-gu Enacts Ordinance for Alley-type Shopping District Standards and Designation... Dongjak-gu Establishes 'Disaster Safety Team'

[Seoul District News] Alley-type shopping district designation for areas with over 30 stores within 2000㎡ and organized merchant groups, supporting Onnuri gift card membership... Mapo-gu Mangwon 1-dong World Cup-ro 19-gil alley near Mangridan-gil transformed into pedestrian-centered road... Dongjak-gu forms 4-member team including safety and health managers for full-scale preparation against Serious Accident Punishment Act enforcement on 27th... Gangdong-gu Dunchon 2-dong Senior Love Room newly opened

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Chang-hyun) has enacted the “Ordinance on the Standards and Designation of Alley-type Shopping Districts in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.” This is to revitalize the alley commercial districts. The ordinance will take effect from January 1, 2022.

An alley-type shopping district applies to areas within 2,000㎡ where 30 or more small business operators run stores densely. Within the area, there must be at least one merchant organization established to facilitate smooth project implementation and gather opinions among merchants.

This ordinance provides grounds for the district to support merchants’ associations when they promote modernization projects, joint projects to increase merchant sales, or community cooperation projects.

When designated as an alley-type shopping district, the area can receive the same benefits as traditional markets. Support will also be available for Onnuri gift certificate affiliation, specialized markets, market management vouchers, holiday event promotions, and more.

A district official said, “Alleys with mixed businesses such as restaurants, cafes, and small retail stores were not recognized as shopping districts and thus had limited support,” adding, “This ordinance enactment will be a turning point for revitalizing alley commercial districts.”

Merchants wishing to designate an area must submit to the district office an application including ▲consent from more than half of merchants operating regularly ▲consent from owners of more than half of the land area within the district ▲consent from owners of more than half of the buildings within the district ▲a map of the district ▲the bylaws and membership list of the merchant organization.

Yongsan-gu Mayor Seong Chang-hyun said, “A system has been established to revitalize alley commercial districts formed by densely clustered stores,” and added, “We hope for active participation not only from business owners but also from building owners so that distinctive commercial districts can be formed in each alley.”

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that the area around World Cup-ro 19-gil in Mangwon 1-dong has been reborn as a fresh alleyway through an urban regeneration project.

Mangwon 1-dong is home to Mangridan-gil, a popular area attracting many young visitors, but the region had been aging due to slow development, causing inconvenience to residents.

This alleyway environment improvement project, initiated to bring change to the aging alleys, was selected as a Seoul city public project and carried out with a combined budget of 1.1 billion KRW from Seoul city and Mapo-gu.

The district started the project in 2019 and in 2020 established a plan for alley regeneration with the ‘Mangwon 1-dong Residents’ Council,’ organized to promote sustainable community revitalization.

Based on the implementation plan created through public-private cooperation, alley maintenance work was carried out from June to December last year.

As a result, World Cup-ro 19-gil, which connects to Mangridan-gil and was previously a shared space for pedestrians and vehicles with safety concerns, has been transformed into a pedestrian-centered alley.

Additionally, tangled utility poles and wires were organized, old fences replaced, and small green spaces created to breathe new life into the alley.

Not only the alley’s exterior but also interior home repairs were conducted. Last year, through the ‘Seoul City Beautiful Home’ project, interior improvements were made to two homes in Mangwon 1-dong, receiving positive feedback from participating residents.

Details about the ‘Beautiful Home’ project can be found on the Beautiful Home website.

Mapo-gu Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said, “The revitalization of World Cup-ro 19-gil through the urban regeneration project was largely due to cooperation with local residents,” and added, “We will continue to discover projects with high resident satisfaction to improve the quality of life for district residents.”

Lee Chang-woo, Mayor of Dongjak District, is inspecting the Noryangjin Modern Sewer Box construction site.

Dongjak-gu (Mayor Lee Chang-woo) has launched a comprehensive response ahead of the enforcement of the “Serious Accident Punishment Act” starting on the 27th.

First, a ‘Disaster Safety Team’ was newly established under the Safety and Disaster Management Officer to oversee safety and health management tasks for serious accident prevention, and it has been operating since the 17th.

Since 2019, the district has operated the ‘Safety and Disaster Management Officer’ as a disaster control tower to strengthen safety management. However, with the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, local governments are required to take more stringent responsibility for accidents occurring in their areas, so a dedicated team was established to focus on serious accident prevention.

The ‘Disaster Safety Team’ consists of four members, including safety and health managers, and will perform roles such as ▲establishing serious accident response management systems and public-private cooperation systems ▲conducting full inspections of facilities and preparing guidelines ▲formulating comprehensive measures for serious industrial accidents ▲reviewing and managing compliance with safety and health-related laws and regulations.

By the end of February, the team will inspect the safety and health management status of public facilities and construction sites in the district. They will identify hazards in construction and facilities for departments and affiliated organizations and thoroughly check the implementation of safety management plans to prevent accidents.

For detailed inquiries, contact Dongjak-gu Safety and Disaster Management Officer.

Since last year, the district has established a Serious Accident Response Task Force to prepare thoroughly for the law’s enforcement. It appointed 141 safety and health supervisors across departments and neighborhoods, conducted risk assessments at workplaces, and provided legal understanding education to all employees to strengthen their safety capabilities. The budget related to safety and health was increased by 43.3% compared to the previous year to tighten responses for safety management and accident prevention.

Dongjak-gu Mayor Lee Chang-woo said, “Ensuring the safety of residents and workers is the top priority of local governments,” and added, “We will proactively identify risk factors and prepare thoroughly so that residents can enjoy a safe daily life.”

Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jung-hoon) announced that it completed the construction of the new Dunchon 2-dong Senior Love Room (Gangdong-gu, Cheonho-daero 188-gil 39) and held an opening ceremony at 2 p.m. on the 14th.

This project was promoted under the ‘Gangdong-type Senior Love Room Space Improvement Plan’ to improve the environment of the old public senior love room, enhance convenience for seniors using it, and improve the urban landscape by purchasing a nearby building and constructing a new facility.

The Dunchon 2-dong Senior Love Room is a one-story building with a total floor area of 98.3㎡. To use space efficiently, it was designed with a loft structure: the first floor serves as the Senior Love Room, and the loft is configured as the Kkum Miso (Dream Smile) space, creating a complex cultural space connecting generations. In particular, the rooftop garden was created as a resting area and will be open as a shelter for not only seniors but also local residents.

Additionally, consulting from Seoul’s ‘2021 Cognitive Health Design Project’ was applied throughout the Senior Love Room to promote sensory stimulation for seniors, expected to play a significant role in dementia prevention and cognitive health improvement.

Gangdong-gu Mayor Lee Jung-hoon said, “Through the opening of the public Dunchon 2-dong Senior Love Room, convenience for seniors using the facility will be enhanced, and it is expected to become a space where residents can harmonize,” adding, “The district will continue to do its best to improve the Senior Love Room environment so that seniors can use it without inconvenience.”