Yangcheon-gu, Beautiful Foundation, and Seoul City Sign MOU for ‘Integrated (Barrier-Free) Indoor Playground Construction at Sintree Park’
Applying Universal Design to Create a 410㎡ Integrated Play Space Guaranteeing Equal Play Rights for Children with and without Disabilities
Project Linked with Second Half Renovation of Sintree Park, Aiming for Completion in the Second Half of Next Year
Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Gijae) announced that, together with the Beautiful Foundation and Seoul City, it will create a public-private partnership-based ‘public integrated (barrier-free) indoor playground’ at Sintree Park where all children can play together regardless of disability status, contributing to the enhancement of children’s right to play without discrimination.
The ‘public integrated (barrier-free) indoor playground’ refers to a playground that guarantees accessibility for people with disabilities and ensures an environment usable by everyone regardless of disability through institutional and awareness improvements.
Recently, interest in indoor playgrounds for safe play has greatly increased due to reasons such as air pollution and detection of harmful substances, and demand for public indoor playgrounds that provide equal play opportunities to all children regardless of economic status is also rising. However, most public indoor playgrounds primarily target non-disabled children, making the creation of indoor playgrounds that consider children with disabilities and their caregivers urgently needed.
Accordingly, on the afternoon of the 19th, the district signed a ‘business agreement for promoting the integrated (barrier-free) indoor playground support project’ with the Beautiful Foundation and Seoul City at the Seoul City Seosomun 2 Office Building, embarking on the creation of an integrated indoor playground that guarantees equal play rights for children with and without disabilities. The signing ceremony was attended by Kang Okhyun, Deputy Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, Kim Jina, Acting Secretary General of the Beautiful Foundation, and Yoo Youngbong, Director of Seoul City’s Green City and Leisure Bureau.
Through this agreement, the district will provide the site, construct the building, and operate the playground after its establishment. The Beautiful Foundation will plan and execute the overall support project, while Seoul City will be responsible for creating a supportive environment and providing project consultation. The project period is until 2024, and the Beautiful Foundation will build the integrated indoor playground and donate it to Yangcheon-gu.
The ‘public integrated (barrier-free) indoor playground’ is planned to be constructed on the first floor with a total floor area of 410㎡ at Yangcheon-gu’s Sintree Park. Universal design will be applied so that not only children with and without disabilities but also caregivers with disabilities can use the facility. It will feature a pilotis open structure using transparent glass to harmonize with the park’s natural environment.
Surrounding the playground, natural-friendly facilities such as a wide lawn yard, forest and water playgrounds, fruit tree garden, and rose garden will be introduced, with leisure programs tailored to the characteristics of each space. The ‘public integrated (barrier-free) indoor playground’ will be built in the central lawn plaza of Sintree Park, linked with the Sintree Park renovation project starting in the second half of this year, aiming for completion in the second half of next year.
The district has been working to ensure children can play safely without restrictions from external environmental factors, starting with the opening of the indoor play space ‘Kizit’ at Yangcheon Park in 2018, followed by the creation of ‘Osaekkkalkal Kids’ at Galsan Park in 2019. Since last year, as part of Seoul City’s public indoor playground project, it has been promoting the establishment of public indoor playgrounds at Omok Park (opening this year), Gangwol Children’s Park (opening in 2024), and West Seoul Lake Park (opening in 2024).
Lee Gijae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “I am pleased that an integrated indoor playground that can embrace all children regardless of disability status is being introduced in Yangcheon-gu, and I would like to thank the Beautiful Foundation and Seoul City once again for their cooperation in promoting this project.” He added, “We will continue to do our best to create a warm city, Yangcheon-gu, where the value of ‘togetherness’ is realized through various district policies.”
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