Gwangju City Launches Yeok-dong Urban Regeneration Project in Earnest
[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] Gwangju City announced on the 14th that it will push forward with the 'Yeok-dong Urban Regeneration Project' in earnest, as the 'Yeok-dong Urban Regeneration Revitalization Plan Amendment (Draft)' received final approval after deliberation by the Gyeonggi Province Urban Regeneration Committee.
The Yeok-dong urban regeneration project was initially planned to be carried out through a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport competitive project when the plan was first established, but as it was significantly scaled back due to restructuring, it was converted to an independent project in October last year. The city then drew up a revitalization plan amendment (draft), and after a residents' public hearing and gathering opinions from the city council in February, it applied to Gyeonggi Province for approval of the amendment (draft) at the end of March.
The Yeok-dong area was designated as an urban regeneration revitalization zone under the 'Gwangju City Urban Strategy Plan' in 2018. The project's target area covers 150,000㎡ spanning Gwangju Middle School–Gyeongan Market–Yeok 2·3·4-tong community centers, and a total project cost of 8.18 billion won is expected to be invested.
The main project content is divided into two unit projects: 'improving settlement conditions' and 'boosting village vitality.'
First, the 'Anyone Together Center (4 floors above ground),' an urban regeneration hub facility, will be built within the area of dilapidated housing concentrated around 11-3 Yeok-dong. It will be used as a space for communication among residents, and various projects will be carried out—such as operating a together care center or programs for resident welfare, and providing house repair support—to improve settlement conditions.
In addition, the area from Gyeongan Market to 71-78 Yeok-dong (Yeok-dong Cube) will undergo road maintenance for pedestrians and vehicles and the undergrounding of KEPCO utility poles to create a clean and safe Pabalma Street. The city also plans to boost village vitality through measures such as consulting support to restore the commercial district in cooperation with local universities.
Meanwhile, the city changed the slogan of the Yeok-dong urban regeneration project to 'Dynamic (力動) in Yeok-dong (驛洞),' reflecting the strong revitalization commitment of the 'Yeok-dong Residents' Council (represented by Yeok 3-tong head Eom Heun-yeong),' which has continuously participated in various urban regeneration projects such as small-scale public projects and the urban regeneration academy from 2017 to the present.
Gwangju Mayor Bang Se-hwan said, "Yeok-dong is our city's old downtown and central commercial district, but it has many houses that are more than 20 years old, and with the commercial district shifting to large shopping centers, the gap with surrounding development areas has widened, causing the old downtown to lose its competitiveness," adding, "I hope that through the urban regeneration project, Yeok-dong will be transformed into the dynamic (力動) village it once was, and I will do my utmost in carrying out the project so that the use of Gyeongan Market and inconvenience to residents can be minimized during the process."