Barrier-Free Healing Shelter... Namyangju 'Hwado Neighborhood Park' Opens

Circular walking paths, deck shelters, park plazas, forest playgrounds, and more
'Closed-circuit (CC)TV' and LED landscape lighting installed for citizen safety

Namyangju Mayor Jo Gwang-han (center in photo) and citizens attended the opening ceremony of 'Hwado Neighborhood Park' on the night of the 27th. [Namyangju City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Hwado Neighborhood Park in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, unveiled its main facilities to citizens on the 27th with a nighttime opening ceremony just two years after its establishment.

Namyangju City plans to fully open the park to the public on July 11, the scheduled completion date, after finishing some final touches.

Hwado Neighborhood Park, created on approximately 81,400㎡ (about 2,460 pyeong) of land at San 9, Nokchon-ri, Hwado-eup, features a 1.5 km circular walking trail, deck rest areas, a forest playground, and LED landscape lighting.

The park plaza includes a ground fountain, resting areas, and flower beds. The walking trail connected to the plaza is designed as a barrier-free deck with an average width of 2 meters and a slope of 8.3%, allowing the elderly or disabled to comfortably reach the observatory by wheelchair or stroller.

Barrier-free deck with a slope of 8.3% that is easily accessible by wheelchair or stroller [Namyangju-si]

The forest playground is equipped with rest areas such as slides, suspension bridges, and swing-type benches, and closed-circuit (CCTV) cameras are being installed for citizens' safety.

About 100 members of Hwado-eup social organizations and local residents attended the opening ceremony to experience the gently sloped barrier-free deck and to participate in the lighting ceremony of the ground fountain illuminating the park.

Since the start of the first phase of the park construction project in July 2020, Hwado Neighborhood Park has completed the 1.5 km circular walking trail, deck rest areas, and the planting of trees and shrubs. The second phase added the barrier-free deck trail, forest playground, and landscape lighting.

Jo Gwang-han, mayor of Namyangju City, said, "Although we have developed the Lee Seok-young New Media Library and Maseok Ucheon Greenway in Hwado-eup, there was still a lack of spaces where citizens could enjoy relaxation. Hwado Neighborhood Park will be a new milestone and history for urban parks that can be used by people pushing wheelchairs or strollers."