Utilizing Underground Road Facilities with Decreased Usage
Providing Technology Education and Jobs for Youth and Vulnerable Groups
Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province has established a smart farm using an urban public underground passage for the first time in the country.
According to Goyang City on May 21, the city completed the installation of a 238-square-meter smart farm facility in the Madu underground passage on May 15, with a total investment of 500 million won from the private company Good Farmer Co., Ltd., and planted 3,420 strawberry seedlings.
This smart farm is a case of utilizing an underground road facility with declining usage. The city completed a comprehensive review of relevant laws regarding legality and safety, as well as on-site conditions, and obtained occupancy permits for the road and park in March. Subsequently, through close cooperation among related departments, Goyang City set a precedent for public underground passage smart farms.
The Madu underground passage smart farm is a sealed facility, constructed so that citizens can look inside through transparent windows. The smart farm uses lighting optimized for strawberry growth and is operating in line with the strawberry harvest season around July to August. Goyang City plans to brand summer strawberries grown in this Goyang-style smart farm.
The city also plans to establish an additional 400-square-meter complex-type smart farm in the Baekseok underground passage. This project was selected for the Gyeonggi Province-led "Social Innovation Smart Farm Construction" public contest and will be carried out by the agricultural corporation FarmFarm. The city has secured 360 million won in provincial and private capital for the project, and after the second supplementary budget is established, the project will proceed in earnest.
The smart farm to be established in the Baekseok underground passage is being designed to include a strawberry cultivation area, an experiential education center, and a cafe. Based on this, the city plans to provide smart farm technology education and jobs to young people and vulnerable groups, thereby creating social value. In addition, the city will operate strawberry harvesting and smart farm experience events to encourage participation from local residents and tourists.
Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang, stated, "We will continue to actively introduce smart farms that combine private technology and field experience, and create citizen-friendly spaces with diverse functions by utilizing urban infrastructure such as underground passage smart farms. Furthermore, from an urban planning perspective, we will establish smart farm complexes to lay the foundation for future agriculture and position Goyang as a leading city for smart agriculture in the metropolitan area."
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