[Special Report] Uijeongbu City Announces “Our Neighborhood Policy Roadmap: Howon 1-dong Edition”
Mangwol-ro Transformed for Pedestrians... Changing the City’s First Impression
Jungnangcheon and Howoncheon: Urban Sanctuaries Where Ecology and Leisure Coexist
Baek Youngsoo Municipal Art Museum and Resident-Led Festivals Make Culture Part of Daily Life
Camp Jackson and Reserve Forces Training Center Revamped... Changes for a Future-Ready City
On November 7, Uijeongbu City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Donggeun) announced the Howon 1-dong edition of its “Our Neighborhood Policy Roadmap,” which comprehensively covers administration, infrastructure, welfare, and culture closely related to citizens’ daily lives. The city expressed its commitment to transforming Howon 1-dong into a future-oriented urban area where nature, culture, and everyday life exist in harmony.
Uijeongbu City, Our Neighborhood Policy Roadmap Howon 1-dong Policy Roadmap. Provided by Uijeongbu City
Pedestrian-Centered Mangwol-ro... Improving the City’s First Impression
The core transformation in Howon 1-dong is the large-scale restructuring of the Mangwol-ro area, which shapes the city’s first impression. Adjacent to Seoul, Howon 1-dong serves as the southern gateway to Uijeongbu and is the area that forms the city’s initial impression. Through the “Walkable Street Creation Project,” the city has shifted from car-oriented roads to pedestrian-friendly streets.
In particular, the Mangwol-ro area was selected for the “2025 Gyeonggi The Dream Regeneration Project” and, from 2026 to 2028, plans are in place to operate wellness hubs and vitalize the health-friendly Mangwol-ro, accelerating efforts to create a healthy city where people can walk and linger.
As a representative case, the Mangwol-ro area has been restructured through the Walkable Street Creation Project, which includes ▲expanding sidewalks, ▲installing raised crosswalks, ▲planting street trees, and ▲installing landscape lighting, transforming it from a vehicle-centered road into a pedestrian-friendly street.
Furthermore, with Mangwol-ro (Howon-dong 119-11 and surrounding areas) being selected for the 2025 Gyeonggi The Dream Regeneration Project, the city is accelerating efforts to create a healthy city through the development of walkable and livable streets.
From 2026 to 2028, the city plans to implement ▲operation of wellness hub spaces, ▲activation of sports crews, ▲vitalization of health-friendly Mangwol-ro, and ▲operation of open campuses in cooperation with local universities.
Nature and Leisure in the City... Ecological Streams Blending into Daily Life
Jungnangcheon has evolved beyond a simple flood control area, becoming an ecological and cultural space where citizens can enjoy nature throughout all four seasons.
The walking paths, which transform into the “Green Barley Path” with swaying green barley in spring and the “Buckwheat Path” filled with white buckwheat flowers in autumn, have established themselves as rest areas where citizens can experience seasonal changes up close.
A traditional rice farming experience center has also been created along Jungnangcheon, attracting the interest of citizens. The riverside area, once abandoned and overrun with invasive plants, has been reborn as an ecological experience center for children and residents. From rice planting to autumn harvest, threshing, and milling, the space is continuously used for experiencing the rural cycle within the city.
At the Balmul Rest Area, local artists hold busking performances, allowing citizens to encounter culture and art in their daily lives. In addition, the “Barefoot Youth Path,” made of coarse sand and decomposed granite, has become another attraction where people can feel nature with their whole bodies and enjoy healthy walking even in the city center.
Furthermore, Howoncheon, which flows from Dobongsan and joins Jungnangcheon, has been newly restored as a natural-type stream that harmonizes ecology, leisure, and relaxation.
Through six years of work, including the restoration of the ecological waterway, creation of an ecological exploration trail, and establishment of an ecological education center, the health of the waterway has been restored, and it is now becoming a waterfront space accessible to citizens within the city.
Everyday Life Following the Flow of Culture... A Neighborhood Alive with Art
Howon 1-dong is gradually transforming into a cultural space intertwined with citizens’ lives.
The Baek Youngsoo Art Museum, which is set to become the city’s first municipal art museum, is the place where the late artist Baek Youngsoo, a pioneer of modern Korean art, lived and worked. The museum is currently operated by the Baek Youngsoo Art and Culture Foundation. Last year, the city signed a business agreement with the foundation and began the process of making it a municipal institution.
As the current site is included in a redevelopment zone, the city plans to create a cultural park on a nearby site to be donated and build a new museum as a complex cultural space with educational, experiential, and research functions.
Going beyond a simple relocation, the plan is to establish an open museum that shares Baek Youngsoo’s artistic world with citizens and to develop it as a hub for the local art ecosystem.
In addition, citizen-led cultural events are naturally blending into everyday life in Howon 1-dong.
The “Uijeongbu Howon Cherry Blossom Festa,” now in its third year, has become a resident-led festival created by local merchants and residents, set against the backdrop of cherry blossoms in full bloom along Jungnangcheon.
The Uijeongbu Howon Cherry Blossom Festa is establishing itself as a representative local festival led by residents, connecting culture and local businesses.
Howon 1-dong Transforming into a Future Growth Hub
Howon 1-dong is attracting attention as a future growth center through spatial reorganization and regulatory relaxation.
In 2023, the comprehensive development plan for the Camp Jackson site was changed from a neighborhood park (Art Park) to land for high-tech industries and self-sustaining facilities, marking a major turning point in development direction. This is part of efforts to lay the groundwork for job creation and revitalization of the local economy.
In particular, Camp Jackson, a small-scale returned site of 82,000 square meters that was not previously eligible for removal from the Green Belt (GB) under existing guidelines, became eligible after the city’s continuous negotiations with relevant agencies led to institutional improvements.
As a result, in April last year, the relevant guidelines were revised to allow GB removal for sites under 200,000 square meters. Accordingly, the Camp Jackson area will be developed with a focus on high-tech industries and R&D research facilities, and soil contamination remediation is currently underway with completion targeted by the end of the year.
With excellent transportation networks, including National Route 3, the Seoul Metropolitan Area Expressway No. 1, and Subway Line 1, this area is expected to become a hub for attracting companies and securing new growth engines in the future.
The relocation of the reserve forces training center is also one of the notable changes. The city has finalized a new relocation site through public discussion with citizens and is continuing consultations with the Ministry of National Defense and Gyeonggi Province.
Once the current site is vacated, the long-pending project to connect the interchange within the region can be fully pursued.
The construction of an interchange directly connecting National Route 3 and Seoburo will enhance transportation convenience for Howon-dong residents and further improve the local road network system.
Upon completion of this project, not only will chronic traffic congestion be alleviated, but accessibility between residential areas and industrial facilities will also be significantly improved.
Mayor Kim Donggeun stated, “Howon 1-dong is enhancing the city’s dignity by harmonizing nature, culture, and everyday life,” adding, “We will implement effective policies so that citizens can truly feel these changes in their daily lives and experience an improved quality of life.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
