FEATURE Seoryou 2-dong's Remarkable Transformation: Old Neighborhoods Complete Their Journey Through 'Harmony'

A neighborhood where old houses cluster together tightly. Suwon City's Kwonseon-gu, Seoryou 2-dong, is a transportation hub where Subway Line 1 runs above ground and Deokyeong Boulevard cuts through the southwestern region. It was a neighborhood where development seemed impossible due to height restrictions.

Change came to Seoryou 2-dong as well. In late 2019, it was selected as a site for the Urban Regeneration New Deal Project. Two billion won was invested. Over the following seven years, urban regeneration hubs were created, and the capacities of the neighborhood and its residents came together to create new dreams.

'Seoryou Harmony Center': A Hub for Resident Cooperation

In the middle of Seoryou 2-dong, lined with row houses and old residential buildings of two to three stories, a new building rose up along a two-lane road. The building is set to open on the 24th. The 'Seoryou Harmony Center' has become a source of pride for Seoryou 2-dong residents.

On the left side of the first floor, an after-school facility has been installed where lower-grade elementary school children can be safely cared for. The 23rd branch of the Together Care Center will safely protect around 20 nearby elementary school students. Inside the lobby, a small bookstore has been set up, and on the right side, a village café has been created with a view of a charming garden. Convenience facilities such as restrooms installed to meet barrier-free certification standards are open to everyone.

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The second floor features athletic facilities. Accessibility has been enhanced by creating stairs that connect directly to the second floor from outside. Inside, a pickleball court has been installed—a racket sport known as the easiest in the world to learn—meeting tournament specifications. On the opposite side, a table tennis court with a wooden floor has also been prepared.

The long-awaited parking lot for Seoryou 2-dong, which has ached from congestion in its alleys, is now complete. It has a total of 86 spaces across two underground levels. Since the parking lot will be opened to residents first, expectations are high for resolving parking shortages.

Additionally, the Jaegganryeong Children's Park that stood in the middle of the village transformed into Seoryou Co-walk Plaza. When remodeling the children's park in 2023, cooperation with the neighboring seniors' center was sought. Thanks to exercise facilities and rest spaces prepared for not just children but also the elderly, the co-walk plaza now hosts village festivals every year.

Merchants Work Together in Harmony to Revitalize Alley Commerce

The major achievements of the Seoryou 2-dong Urban Regeneration New Deal Project are not limited to infrastructure expansion. A prime example is the establishment of the Seoryou 2-dong Merchants Association, the commercial hub of the neighborhood, which laid the foundation for commerce growth.

The midwife for the Seoryou 2-dong Merchants Association was the 'Alley Commerce Exchange Center.' In the early stages of the project in 2020, a commercial building in the middle of an alley was remodeled and established, and from 2021 onwards, a groundwork was laid for the organization and revitalization of the merchants association. In addition to the merchants association office, a home repair consultation room, a tool rental shop, and a shared kitchen were utilized efficiently in the small space, serving as a hub for Seoryou 2-dong's urban regeneration.

The Seoryou 2-dong Merchants Association took its first steps in 2022 after going through support in various fields including merchant capacity-building programs, consulting, and activities using social media. The owner of a neighborhood photo studio who has been photographing residents' portraits for nearly 50 years became the inaugural merchants association chair.

The merchants association competed for support projects that linked external resources and utilized a total of 62 million won in support funds for commerce revitalization. Subsequently, in December 2024, it was officially designated as an alley-type shopping district and received recognition as a legitimate alley commerce area in Suwon.

Choi Jin-seon, chair of the Seoryou 2-dong Merchants Association, said, "Thanks to the Urban Regeneration New Deal Project, merchants who didn't know each other were able to communicate and interact. The merchants association will continue to support the Harmony Center so that residents can use it together for the development of the neighborhood."

Completion of the 'Urban Regeneration New Deal Project': A Regeneration Hub Built by Residents

A specialized resident-centered cooperative that reflects the unique characteristics of Seoryou 2-dong has also been established, working together to build the future of the neighborhood. The 'Seoryou Co-walk Village Management Social Cooperative,' created with residents at its core, has grown into the backbone of urban regeneration.

Initially, basic training for residents on village management was conducted, and some 20 residents strengthened their commitment to establishing the village management cooperative. Since its official establishment in 2023, the cooperative has expanded to include side dish businesses such as meal kits for common prosperity of commerce and SNS character projects involving younger generations.

In particular, the home repair business, which is urgently needed in Seoryou 2-dong where deteriorated low-rise residential buildings are densely concentrated, provided momentum for the cooperative's growth. By operating a home repair consultation room and tool rental shop and participating in projects in other neighborhoods of Suwon beyond Seoryou-dong, the cooperative was able to move to the commercialization stage.

Community projects were also actively carried out. The accumulated know-how was leveraged to expand business areas by designing shared spaces and creating murals for other villages with similar environments in the region upon request. Based on this, in 2024, the cooperative operated an urban regeneration university in Asan City and expanded its activities beyond the Suwon area by participating in underpass construction projects in other regions.

Additionally, the regeneration of Seoryou 2-dong has been achieved through resident cooperation, including the operation of multicultural clubs reflecting the characteristics of the area with a large foreign resident population and "Everyone's Kitchen" utilizing the shared kitchen. A total of 85 community events were held, with 1,188 people participating.

A Suwon City official stated, "Even after the completion of the Seoryou Harmony Center, the final puzzle piece of the urban regeneration project, we will continue to communicate with residents to ensure that the results of Seoryou 2-dong's urban regeneration maintain self-sustainability and continuity."