Gwangju Dong-gu, Learning Center Chosen Instead of Parking Lot a 'Masterstroke'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] A site originally designed as a parking lot in Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, has been transformed into a humanities salon for residents, a village autonomy complex space, and an educational space nurturing the dreams of young artists, attracting attention.

‘Dong-gu Humanities Academy,’ a representative symbolic space unique to Dong-gu aiming to be a humanities city, was originally planned to be developed as a public parking lot.

However, after gathering public opinion from local residents to preserve the modern house with architectural value, instead of demolishing it, a reversal drama was written as it was reborn as the best cultural space cultivating the humanities sensibility of local residents.

In addition, Dong-gu, which is purchasing public and abandoned houses to create spaces essential for village residents such as small parking lots, vegetable gardens, and village gardens, plans to utilize the parking lot site to establish a village autonomy communication hub facility encompassing village welfare and resident autonomy.

The ‘Village Autonomy Complex Space Seonam-dong Sarangchae,’ to be built on the parking lot site next to Dong-gu Lifelong Learning Center, is expected to serve as a true village autonomy hub where residents discover and solve village issues by themselves.

The behind-the-scenes story related to the establishment of the Korea National University of Arts Gwangju Campus, promoted by Gwangju City, is also attracting attention.

Since the completion of the National Asia Culture Center in 2015, the annex parking lot of the Culture Center has been preserved as a space of memories, with the school gate and gymnasium maintained on the site of the prestigious Gwangju Girls' High School, reflecting a special meaning.

The old Gwangju Girls' High School gymnasium, which was almost demolished to make way for a parking lot, is now preparing to be reborn as a cradle of arts education nurturing Honam art prodigies, carrying the warmth of time endured gracefully over the years.

A Dong-gu official said on the 1st, “As the saying goes, the fate of a city changes depending on what facility is built, and we transformed a site that was almost a parking lot into a treasure of Dong-gu through a change of perspective,” adding, “We will continue to devote ourselves to discovering value and sublimating it into assets by utilizing Dong-gu’s attractive cultural resources, creating a cultural small but strong city that enhances the quality and quantity of culture.”