At the 10th Healthy Cities Alliance World Congress, Received 'WHO Healthy City Award' and 'AFHC Creative Development Award'
▲Pedestrian-friendly 'Songpa-daero Premiumization' ▲Barrier-free Waterfront Walkway ▲Bicycle Road Maintenance
Leading the Creation of Healthy Living Environments in Daily Life... 'Healthy City Songpa' Recognized Worldwide
Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) received the ‘WHO Healthy City Award’ and was selected for the ‘AFHC Creative Development Award’ at the 10th World Congress of the Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) held at Seoul Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) on September 25, achieving a double crown and gaining global recognition for its status as a healthy city.
The ‘Alliance for Healthy Cities World Congress’ is an international conference held every two years by the AFHC, which evaluates and reviews outstanding cases to promote community health among 188 member cities in the Western Pacific region.
First, Songpa-gu was selected as an excellent case this year in the ‘Let’s Be Active!’ category, one of the eight fields of the 10th WHO Awards. In particular, the district’s efforts shone through in continuously promoting numerous projects to create ‘walkable paths’ that encourage physical activity in residents’ daily lives.
As a result, Songpa-gu has achieved the remarkable feat of winning the ‘WHO Healthy City Award’ five consecutive times from 2014 to this year.
Notably, the district highlighted major achievements such as ▲connecting the fragmented walking paths along Songpa-daero through the ‘Songpa-daero Premium Street’ project, transforming neglected green areas into healing spaces for residents ▲creating barrier-free waterfront walking trails called Songpa Dullegil ▲maintaining bicycle roads and expanding convenience facilities, enabling residents to experience greenery and engage in active lifestyles like walking and cycling in their daily lives.
Among these, the district’s efforts were recognized for projects such as the ‘Songpa Avenue Garden Creation Project,’ which widened pedestrian paths from Seokchon Lake to Garak Market Intersection and planted cherry trees and seasonal flowers to create gardens, as well as the creation of ‘Trophy Park’ around the Garak Market water purification tower area, allowing residents to encounter greenery and find healing within the urban environment.
Additionally, the district was selected as an excellent case in the action plan category for urban and district health at the AFHC Awards, receiving the ‘AFHC Creative Development Award.’
Songpa-gu received high evaluations for enhancing carbon neutrality efforts across the district by ▲expanding and operating five Songpa Sharing Power Plants ▲installing bicycle roads on 187 routes to reduce vehicle emissions ▲installing fine dust traffic lights and electronic display boards, thereby protecting the planet and neighbors.
Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “This achievement is significant as it shows that our efforts to help residents enjoy healthier and happier lives in their daily routines have been recognized globally,” and added, “We will continue to recognize the importance of health and do our best to create a ‘Healthy City Songpa’ together with our residents.”
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