Yangju City Implements 'Senior Center Surrounding Facility Improvement Project'

Increase in Transportation Convenience by Applying 'Universal Design'

A view of Yangju City Hall.

Gyeonggi Yangju City (Mayor Kang Su-hyun) announced on the 30th that it will carry out the ‘Facility Improvement Project Around Senior Centers’ to ensure the safety and convenience of transportation-vulnerable groups.

This project is part of the ‘2024 Universal Design Project for Transportation-Vulnerable Groups’ led by the province to establish integrated convenience facilities that assist both seniors and children. The city was selected in last year’s public contest and is promoting the project this year.

The ‘Universal Design Project’ aims to create an environment where everyone can live without discrimination regardless of age, gender, or disability.

The target site for the project, the Nam-myeon Maegok-ri Senior Center, serves as a village hub facility sharing a building with the village hall. It is adjacent to a health center and playground, frequently used by the elderly. However, the facility urgently needs improvements due to heavy entrance doors not considering seniors’ behavior and physical conditions, entranceways without handles, bathrooms lacking anti-slip measures and handrails, and high upper cabinets in the kitchen.

Accordingly, the city plans to invest a total project cost of 500 million KRW, including 150 million KRW from provincial funds and 350 million KRW from city funds, to install vehicle speed reduction facilities and guide signs for pedestrian safety, and to improve indoor living convenience by providing kitchen storage, anti-slip facilities, and other safety accident prevention measures to enhance the internal and external environment of the senior center.

Additionally, the city explained that it plans to produce the first-ever senior center guideline applying universal design in the province.

Furthermore, it added that in future new constructions and repairs of senior center facilities, the ‘Universal Design Senior Center Guideline’ will be utilized to help users conveniently use the facilities and to focus on establishing a sustainable standard model.

Mayor Kang Su-hyun said, “Through this project, we will contribute to creating a community where village seniors and children can come together by improving safe and convenient facility use and children’s play spaces. We will do our best to prepare conditions for seniors to spend a safe and comfortable old age in line with the aging society.”