Seoul's Yongsan-gu has won national recognition for transforming a dimly lit alleyway into a brighter, safer street through a resident-driven initiative, district mayor Kim Gyeong-dae announced.
The district said its project — "Installation of Solar Road Markers on Gyeongnidan-gil for Accident Prevention and Local Streetscape Improvement" — was selected as a best-practice case in the lifestyle safety category at a competition organized by the Ministry of Interior and Safety for outstanding participatory budgeting initiatives.
Gyeongnidan-gil, located near Itaewon and Namsan, draws heavy foot traffic year-round thanks to its eclectic shops and distinctive atmosphere. However, some stretches feature steep gradients and sharp curves, and concerns about pedestrian safety had consistently been raised because the boundary between the sidewalk and the roadway was difficult to distinguish at night.
In response, residents proposed the project through the participatory budgeting process to address the area's safety issues. Yongsan-gu took up the proposal, consulting traffic and public-design experts before installing solar road markers — ground-level lighting fixtures — along a 940-meter stretch of Gyeongnidan-gil identified as high-risk and poorly lit.
Solar road markers charge using sunlight during the day and illuminate at night without any separate electrical connection, making them an eco-friendly safety fixture.
The project has significantly improved nighttime visibility and pedestrian safety by clearly delineating road boundaries along what had been a dark stretch of the street. The soft lighting also enhances the nighttime streetscape and has had a positive effect on the local commercial district.
The recognition carries particular significance as a model of public-private cooperation, in which residents identified a community problem and the local government translated it into concrete administrative action. The case will be included in the Ministry of Interior and Safety's participatory budgeting best-practices publication and shared with local governments nationwide.
"This case is a meaningful achievement in which residents directly participated in solving a local problem and drove real change," district mayor Kim said. "We will continue to run the participatory budgeting program in a substantive way so that residents' voices translate into actual policy outcomes, and we will build a safe Yongsan that residents can feel."
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