Dobong-gu Chang1-dong Community Center New Building Opening

[Seoul District News] Dobong-gu Opens New Chang 1-dong Community Center with 2 Basement Floors, 6 Above Ground, Total Area 1843㎡ on 14th; Designed as Resident Space Embracing Culture and Welfare Beyond Administrative Work... Jongno-gu Pilots 'Construction Site Waste Disposal Reporting System'... Gwanak-gu Installs Ramps for Mobility-Impaired at Restaurants and Hospitals... Yeongdeungpo-gu Recruits Health Clubs for Single-Person Households

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Dobong-gu (Mayor Dong-jin Lee) Chang 1-dong Community Service Center (Director Seung-ryeol Choi) completed new construction and opened on the 14th.

The existing Chang 1-dong Community Service Center had been in use for 27 years since its completion, causing many inconveniences due to aging. In particular, the lack of an elevator made it difficult for seniors, people with disabilities, and others with mobility issues to use the facility, and the limited size resulted in insufficient space for residents.

In response, Dobong-gu established a new construction plan in 2018 and built the Chang 1-dong Community Service Center with a budget of approximately 6.8 billion KRW, consisting of 2 basement floors, 6 above-ground floors, and a total floor area of 1,843㎡.

The interior facilities include ▲ Basement 2: generator room, storage ▲ Basement 1: parking lot ▲ 1st floor: civil affairs office (administrative civil affairs team, integrated welfare team) ▲ 2nd floor: director's office, autonomous village team, community headquarters ▲ 3rd floor: Chang 1-dong public small library, residents' autonomy office, cultural lecture room ▲ 4th floor: auditorium ▲ 5th floor: village vitality center, club room, broadcasting room ▲ 6th floor: shared kitchen.

At the opening ceremony, Dobong-gu Mayor Dong-jin Lee said, “Community service centers are transforming from spaces solely for administrative work into places where culture and welfare come together for residents. We will develop the Chang 1-dong Community Service Center as an open space accessible to people of all ages and abilities, including men and women, people with and without disabilities.”

A small threshold at the entrance door, which ordinary people pass through without concern, can be a major obstacle for someone who cannot move freely. Wheelchair users sometimes have to give up using facilities because of thresholds just a few centimeters high.

Accordingly, Gwanak-gu announced plans to remove thresholds at small-scale living facilities such as pharmacies, restaurants, and private clinics to improve convenience for wheelchair users and other mobility-impaired individuals.

According to the “Act on Guarantee of Convenience for the Disabled, the Elderly, Pregnant Women, etc.,” facilities above a certain size are required to install ramps. However, many small-scale living facilities frequently used by residents, such as old apartments, restaurants, supermarkets, and pharmacies, are not legally obligated to have ramps, so many lack them.

Therefore, the district is working to create a barrier-free living environment by removing walking obstacles and installing customized ramps at small-scale living facilities with thresholds at entrances, even if they are not legally required to have ramps under the convenience law, so that anyone can conveniently and freely go wherever they want.

The district will select subcontractors and begin accepting ramp installation applications from small stores starting in May. For more details, contact the Disability Welfare Division.

Meanwhile, starting in the second half of this year, the district will select 20 single-person households with disabilities who face difficulties in daily life due to housing constraints and launch a new project to support housing convenience for people with disabilities. Considering the type of disability and behavior patterns of the recipients, the project will install threshold removals, ramps, handrails, etc., to resolve daily inconveniences throughout the home and enable safe living tailored to the individual.

In addition, the district is fully committed to providing customized welfare services closely connected to daily life, such as supporting repair costs for mobility devices for the disabled and wheelchair rental services, so that mobility-impaired individuals can live safely and conveniently.

A district official said, “We will pay attention to even small inconveniences in daily life and focus on providing convenience for mobility-impaired individuals including the disabled. We will continue to strive to build a living environment where everyone can live safely and conveniently.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Hyun-il Chae) is promoting the single-person household health club support project “I am Green, Open Yeongdeungpo” and will recruit participants on a first-come, first-served basis starting April 25.

“I am Green, Open Yeongdeungpo” is designed to help single-person households form social networks through health club support to prevent social isolation, and to protect both health and the environment by engaging in plogging activities?walking while picking up trash.

Anyone living in Yeongdeungpo-gu who is interested in health and environmental protection, including office workers, students, and residents, can participate. Participants will form clubs of single-person households and conduct plogging at least twice a month from May to November in locations such as the Han River, Saetgang, Anyangcheon, Dorimcheon, major parks, and school routes within Yeongdeungpo. They must also submit activity reports.

Participants will receive plogging supplies worth about 40,000 KRW, including sunscreen, eco-bags, and cotton gloves. After the activities conclude at the end of November, outstanding clubs will be selected based on the number of activities and reports submitted, and additional incentives will be provided.

Single-person households wishing to participate can visit the Vision Cooperation Division’s Health Special Zone Team at Yeongdeungpo-gu Office or apply online via email to the person in charge.

Applications can be made as clubs of 3 to 5 people. Applicants with fewer than 3 members will have clubs formed by the district considering gender, age, and activity locations.

The district will select 100 participants on a first-come, first-served basis in May and plans to recruit additional participants throughout the second half of the year with a minimum activity requirement of 10 sessions if the quota is not met.

Application forms, activity plans, and other details can be found in the “Notices/Announcements” section of the Yeongdeungpo-gu Office website.

Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Hyun-il Chae said, “I hope single-person household residents actively participate in the health club plogging activities, which add vitality to life by walking and running with neighbors and also practice environmental protection in daily life. We will continue to lead health-specialized projects that satisfy residents and help Yeongdeungpo develop into a healthy city.”