Creating a Garden City Within a 5-Minute Walk Where Residents Can Relax Surrounded by Flowers and Trees
Resident Participation Budget Contest Projects, Discovery of National and Public Land, and Expansion of Green Spaces Through Redevelopment Project Donations
Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) is promoting the ‘5-Minute Garden Project,’ which allows residents to rest while enjoying flowers and trees within a 5-minute walking distance, to create a ‘City of Flowers’ where residents can be happy.
The average urban forest area per capita in Dongdaemun-gu is 2.45㎡, ranking 23rd out of 25 autonomous districts in Seoul in terms of green space ratio, indicating a poor situation. In particular, areas such as Cheongnyangni and Jegi-dong, which have many traditional markets and densely populated residential areas, lack parks and green spaces more than other places.
Accordingly, the district is promoting the ‘5-Minute Garden Project,’ which focuses on resident-participatory green space creation, discovery and development of national and public land green spaces, and expansion of parks and green spaces through redevelopment project donations.
To create resident-participatory green spaces, the district is working with companies and organizations to plant trees along Jungnangcheon Stream and create park flower beds, striving to spread and establish a green culture. In addition, to create parks and green spaces based on residents’ proposals and demands, the district is collecting residents’ opinions through a resident participation budget contest project and plans to reflect them in next year’s projects after considering feasibility and effectiveness. Applications for the resident participation budget can be made through the district website (Administrative Information - Budget & Settlement - Resident Participation Budget System Project Application Guide) as well as by mail or visit until June 28.
Furthermore, the district is accelerating the creation of parks and green spaces by making the most of national and public land, such as opening the ‘Field of Knowledge’ on the site of the Seoul Metropolitan Library (Dongdaemun) last September. The district plans to expand parks by utilizing national land around the Dongdaemun-gu Gymnasium and restore the waste transfer station site around Baebongsan Mountain into green space.
Redevelopment and maintenance projects underway throughout the district, including Imun-dong, Hwikyung-dong, and Dapsimni-dong, are also expected to contribute to the expansion of parks and green spaces. This year, three parks (total area 9,228㎡) will be created in the Imun 1 District area, and by 2025, numerous parks and green spaces will be established in Hwikyung 3 District, Imun 3 District, and others, increasing spaces where residents can relax.
Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “We are exploring various projects to expand parks and green spaces so that residents can rest while seeing trees and flowers throughout the city. We will strive to systematically expand ecological spaces for plants in the city to contribute to carbon neutrality and do our best to create a ‘walkable city’ in harmony with nature.”
Since the ‘City of Flowers’ proclamation ceremony in January last year, the district has been creating small gardens in urban areas along streets and idle spaces and developing a ‘Four Seasons Flower Complex’ of about 4,000㎡ on the Jungnangcheon Stream bank under Jangpyeonggyo Bridge, creating a bright and fragrant urban environment filled with flowers.
Additionally, to create a ‘City of Flowers’ together with residents, the district operates a ‘Companion Plant Clinic Center’ and trains ‘Dongdaemun-gu Gardeners.’
This year, the district plans to provide residents with various attractions and spaces for healing in nature within the city by creating the ‘Metasequoia Road’ and ‘Barefoot Trail’ along Jungnangcheon Stream, as well as an ‘Artificial Waterfall’ (with nighttime landscape lighting) in the open plaza of Baebongsan Neighborhood Park.
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