Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, is creating the first pet playground in the original downtown area at Yeonsu-dong University Park to address the imbalance of pet facilities between the new and old downtown areas.
The district plans to establish the first pet playground in the original downtown area by August, covering an area of 600㎡, following the Dalbit Park in Songdo-dong currently operating in the new downtown and the Heyum Park scheduled to open in July. The location is the Masato-paved area around Yeonsu-dong University Park, which was previously used for sports facilities but is currently underutilized. A budget of 400 million KRW from the city has been secured for this project.
To gather residents' opinions on creating the pet playground, the district conducted a survey and received 60.5% approval from respondents. From November last year, 360 residents from nearby areas including Yeonsu 3-dong participated in the survey, and among them, 218 supported the establishment of the pet playground on site.
During the survey process, the district carefully considered opposing views and plans to develop the facility to enhance animal welfare while minimizing conflicts and inconveniences between pet owners and non-pet owners.
To this end, the district aims to complete the detailed design service by next month, revise the park development plan, start construction around May, and complete the project by August, finishing all development within the year. The district expects that establishing the first pet playground in the original downtown at Yeonsu-dong University Park will not only improve convenience for pet lovers but also help alleviate the imbalance of park facilities between the new and old downtown areas to some extent.
Yeonsu-gu was selected for the Incheon city project 'One District, One Pet Park' for the second consecutive year, following Heyum Park in Songdo-dong last year and now University Park in the original downtown this year, making it the only district among Incheon's 10 districts and counties to receive city funding for two consecutive years.
Lee Jae-ho, mayor of Yeonsu-gu, said, "Residents in the original downtown have long experienced inconvenience due to the lack of pet facilities. We will continue to expand pet-friendly facilities in parks in the original downtown to create a comfortable urban environment where people and animals coexist."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
