Guri City Achieves First-Ever Record in Gyeonggi Province with Eighth Selection for Universal Design Project Contest

Selected a Total of Eight Times from 2017 to 2026, a First for Gyeonggi Province

Guri City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Kyunghyun) announced on January 7 that it was finally selected on January 5 for the "2026 Universal Design Project for Transportation-Vulnerable Groups," for which it had applied to Gyeonggi Province in September last year. As a result, the city will officially launch a universal design project targeting the Guri City Hall General Civil Service Office and the Sutaek 3-dong Administrative Welfare Center, both of which have high citizen usage rates.

Universal Design Application (Draft). Provided by Guri City

The "2026 Universal Design Project for Transportation-Vulnerable Groups," promoted by Gyeonggi Province, is a highly competitive public contest in which only three out of 31 cities and counties in the province are selected.

With this latest selection as a 2026 project site, Guri City has achieved the distinction of being chosen for the Gyeonggi Province universal design project for eight consecutive years since 2017. Previous project sites include Inchang Elementary School in 2017, Topyeong Elementary School in 2018, the route from Guri Station to the Youth Center in 2019, the route from Guri Station to Guri Post Office in 2020, Inchang Senior Dining Hall in 2022, Guri City Public Health Center in 2023, and Guri Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market in 2025.

This year, Guri City plans to invest a total project budget of 500 million won, including 150 million won in provincial funding, primarily focusing on the Guri City Hall General Civil Service Office. By next year, the city aims to: develop universal design guidelines for the civil service office; establish barrier-free pedestrian and entrance spaces; improve public information systems that rely on small text and complex information; enhance accessibility to user facilities such as service counters, waiting areas, and writing desks; and expand and improve amenities including nursing rooms, storage lockers, and electric wheelchair chargers.

In particular, this project focuses on alleviating the inconveniences faced by digitally marginalized groups-such as the elderly, people with disabilities, non-English-speaking foreigners, and individuals with cognitive impairments-who still visit civil service offices despite the expansion of online administrative services. The goal is to create a public design environment that is easily accessible and understandable for everyone.

Baek Kyunghyun, Mayor of Guri City, stated, "The civil service office is the first place where citizens encounter public administration. Through this universal design project, we will create an administrative environment where everyone is respected and considered." He added, "We will continue to promote public design policies that citizens can feel in their daily lives."

Meanwhile, Guri City plans to use this pilot project as a stepping stone to go beyond one-off spatial improvements. The city will gradually expand the application of universal design to public spaces citywide, accelerating its efforts to become a 'Universal Design City.'