[Seoul District News] Yangcheon-gu Accelerates Establishment of Basic Plan for Mountainous Parks Creating Hub Parks at Yongwangsan, Galsan, Sinjeongsan, and Jiyangsan '15-Minute Park Zone' Establishes Ecological and Living Network as Foundation for Garden City Yangcheon... Dobong-gu Appoints 2022 School Touring Volunteer Education Instructors
Park
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) is actively promoting the creation of mountain-type hub parks in Yongwangsan, Galsan, Sinjeongsan (Gyenam Park), and Jiyangsan (Onsu Park) within the district through the establishment of a 'Mountain-type Park Basic Plan.'
Mountain-type parks are designated parks located in urban areas or nearby suburban mountains, offering various values such as leisure cultural spaces and habitats for wildlife due to their proximity to residential areas.
Yangcheon-gu established this basic plan for mountain-type parks, recognizing the increased use of outdoor parks due to COVID-19 and the need for a mid- to long-term integrated development strategy in response to changes in urban structure.
Through this plan, the district aims to lay the foundation for 'Garden City Yangcheon' centered on an ecological and living network forming a '15-minute park catchment area,' planning to implement 40 projects worth 74.6 billion KRW (including national, city, and district funds) over the next 10 years.
The total area of mountain-type parks in the district is 1,795,792㎡, consisting of four locations: ▲ Yongwangsan Park (213,552㎡) in the northeast ▲ Galsan Park (138,596㎡) in the southeast ▲ Gyenam Park (Sinjeongsan, 440,173㎡) in the south ▲ Onsu Park (Jiyangsan, 1,003,471㎡) in the southwest.
The basic directions of the plan are ▲ elevating the city's status ▲ enhancing equity in park services ▲ leading park culture.
Additionally, the district plans to create well-structured spaces by connecting major green axes and the Anyangcheon ecological axis within the park living area through balanced functional distribution.
Furthermore, a metropolitan-level urban plan will be established by subdividing the Yangcheon Dulle-gil trail to provide high-quality park usage services.
First, at Yongwangsan Park, under the theme of 'Reorganizing hub cultural facilities, spaces, and circulation systems and introducing youth experiential activity facilities,' forest-themed programs such as healing, experience, and play will be conducted. Considering residents' preferences and tendencies, 'Wildflower Fragrance Garden,' 'Complex Cultural Space,' and 'Spring Flower Garden' will be created. In particular, accessibility will be improved by connecting Mokdong Park and Anyangcheon, and a circular trail will be established with scenic plantings, rest areas, and viewing facilities around the trail.
At Galsan Park, themed 'Galsan Park for everyone from children to adults,' a natural playground and an outdoor youth space called the Five-color Family Yard will be created. The existing fountain plaza will be transformed into 'Galsan Garden' with flowers and gardens.
Gyenam Park (Sinjeongsan), themed 'Gyenam Park where anyone can enjoy from anywhere,' will be reborn as a space where all generations can gather, overcoming the current limited usage mainly by middle-aged groups. The district plans to create Gyenam Family Yard, Youth Adventure Forest, Sinjeongsan Everyone's Yard, Forest Playground, and Strong Garden here.
Finally, Onsu Park (Jiyangsan, Maebongsan), themed 'Yangcheon-gu's landmark park utilizing excellent forests,' will feature a dynamic cultural experience space utilizing forest landscapes and terrain. The park is expected to become a place of communication and empathy through spatial arrangements considering all age groups.
Specifically, Onsu Park Zone 1 plans include a forest terrain playground and a circular trail, while Zone 2 will be reorganized into a theme park that preserves the natural environment as much as possible while accommodating various cultures.
Zones 3 and 4 of Onsu Park will have indoor and outdoor playgrounds (scheduled for completion in 2022) that nurture children's sensitivity, adventurous spirit, and imagination, along with circular trails. Zone 5 will create the Yangcheon Healing Arboretum linked to the existing urban agriculture park to enhance leisure activities. Lastly, Zone 6 will introduce an experiential learning space aligned with the existing infant forest experience center.
Through this mid- to long-term master plan, the district aims to establish a firm foundation to become a genuine 'Garden City Yangcheon' and plans to implement related projects annually.
Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, "Through the creation of mountain-type parks, we will create spaces for healing and leisure culture in the post-COVID-19 era and further develop Yangcheon-gu into a people-centered garden city for all residents."
Dobong-gu (Mayor Lee Dong-jin) appointed a total of 26 education graduates, trained through last month's Youth Education Specialist Instructor Training, as the 'School Visiting Volunteer Education Instructor Group.'
Dobong-gu has continuously conducted 'School Visiting Volunteer Education' to support autonomous volunteer activities among youth and has annually trained and appointed specialist instructors to establish a foundation for professional volunteer education.
School Visiting Volunteer Education is an educational activity aimed at establishing a correct concept of volunteering during adolescence and inducing autonomous and continuous youth volunteer activities. Currently, the education is operated through talent donations by members of the 'Dobong-gu Youth Education Specialist Instructor Group (Ibaesarang).'
The Dobong-gu Youth Education Specialist Instructor Group (Ibaesarang) is a pure volunteer organization composed of individuals holding qualifications in social welfare, counseling, youth studies, or with more than three years of experience in education-related volunteer work, operating since 2010 under the vision of 'Delivering double love with love in our words.'
Despite the contraction of activities due to COVID-19 in 2021, Dobong-gu's School Visiting Volunteer Education conducted basic, advanced, and evaluation education on volunteering for about 2,000 students across six schools through close cooperation with schools.
In 2022, the School Visiting Volunteer Education Instructor Group plans to tour middle and high schools in Dobong-gu from March to November to provide volunteer education to youth.
Lee Dong-jin, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, "I express my gratitude to the instructor group for their tireless efforts to activate youth volunteering in Dobong-gu, and I hope that through the activities of the School Visiting Education Specialist Instructor Group, youth volunteering will be established as a sustainable volunteer culture rather than a one-time or formal activity."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
