Editorial Yeonmu Village Outside Dongmun Gate of Suwon Hwaseong Reborn Through Urban Regeneration New Deal Project
Below a small hill with the 'Grandfather Tunso Rock' located northeast of the Changryong Gate outside the UNESCO World Heritage Suwon Hwaseong fortress wall is Yeonmu Village. It is a representative underdeveloped area of Suwon City, where refugees who fled from North during the Korean War once lived in makeshift shacks.
The village has experienced repeated decline due to narrow and winding alleys, poor living infrastructure, and an increasing elderly population. Over 75% of the buildings are multi-family and single-family houses, and it is a deteriorated village where 6 out of 10 buildings are over 30 years old. Among living SOC (basic life infrastructure facilities), elementary schools, senior citizen classrooms, and public parking lots fell below minimum standards.
A movement of change began in Yeonmu Village as slumification was progressing. To create 'Happy Life Quarter Outside Dongmun Gate, Yeonmudong,' Suwon City invested 40.7 billion won in a 97,000-square-meter area of Yeonmudong. A resident-based 'smart urban regeneration new deal project' was implemented. 'Yeonmu Village Integrated Care,' where the local community collectively cares for elderly residents in Yeonmudong, was also included in the urban regeneration project.
To achieve this, resident input was gathered through resident briefings, public hearings, surveys, and urban regeneration university programs. Residential areas were improved considering local characteristics. The urban regeneration project largely incorporated residents' wishes.
The space created this way is 'Yeonmu Village Eoullim Center' (257-17, Yeonmudong), a resident-felt living hub providing necessary community services. On the first floor of the Eoullim Center, which is B1/4F with a total floor area of 1,496 square meters, there is a village café and village workshop, and on the second floor, a smart farm with applied smart technology and a sports MR (mixed reality) room help residents communicate with neighbors and engage in activities nearby without being affected by weather.
The building also has the village's only 'small bathhouse.' Though small, it is equipped with all necessary facilities including hot water baths, saunas, shower facilities, and powder rooms. On the 3rd and 4th floors of the building is 'Eoullim Health Life Support Center,' a local health care institution specially operated by Jangan-gu Health Center. The center focuses on dementia prevention and health management functions. It is well-deserved praise from residents that "thanks to this, Yeonmudong has become a better place to live."
Besides Eoullim Center, a 'Multigenerational Eoullim Center' is being operated nearby. The first and second floors are used as a senior citizen center, and the third and fourth floors are used as a shared childcare center, serving both elderly residents and children living in Yeonmudong. (Related article: News S, 14th, 'Yeonmu Village's Transformation is Blameless...Reborn as a Smart Happy Life Quarter!')
Changes to the village resulting from the urban regeneration new deal project are noticeable throughout. New facilities have been installed in the Jjokbaksan Children's Park. In particular, the newly created rest area in the park has been remodeled into a state-of-the-art smart pagoda. A village parking lot has been established around the Tunso Rock Park, and a deck walkway has been installed around the park. Village alleys have been cleaned up and anti-slip paving has been applied to slopes. Walls and street lights have also been maintained. Green spaces along Suwon Creek and access points have been neatly and safely maintained, with decks, benches, and rest areas established throughout.
Yeonmu Village's urban regeneration project is receiving praise as exemplary. There are still many places in Suwon where urban regeneration projects need to be carried out in the future. We hope that other underdeveloped areas will also experience positive changes that make life better, just like residents of Yeonmu Village.