Seoul's Nowon-gu has formally launched its 2027 resident-proposed project initiative, a program that lets residents directly identify local issues and set budget priorities.
Projects selected through the process will be reviewed by the resident assembly and the participatory budgeting committee before being incorporated into the 2027 budget proposal.
Under the initiative, residents submit ideas for improving everyday inconveniences and advancing community development, then vote to determine which projects receive funding. The program gives residents a direct role in the budget-drafting process, boosting transparency and fairness in fiscal management while advancing genuine grassroots self-governance.
The district collected project proposals from each neighborhood through July and will hold a preliminary review meeting on Aug. 18 and 19. District Mayor Seo Jun-o, the chairs of 19 neighborhood self-governance councils, and the department heads responsible for each project will attend to assess feasibility, necessity and expected impact.
Projects that pass the review will go to a resident vote at neighborhood assemblies in September and October, where community members will rank them by priority. The district has moved away from conventional meeting-style operations, instead holding "festival-style resident assemblies" tied to neighborhood village festivals to broaden participation. Last year's assemblies drew 20,622 residents to the polls, a turnout praised for the notably higher participation of families and young people across generations.
After the neighborhood assemblies, projects confirmed through the participatory budgeting committee's review will be reflected in the 2027 budget proposal. The total allocation is set at 950 million won ($670,000), with individual projects eligible for up to 50 million won.
Projects selected last year that are currently underway are already delivering tangible improvements to residents' living environments. Initiatives developed from residents' own perspectives include installing glass partition walls at small community libraries and adding handrails along steep pedestrian pathways.
The district is also investing in residents' capacity for self-governance. Following the pre-review meetings, District Mayor Seo will personally deliver a lecture at the "2026 Nowon Autonomy University" on Aug. 25. He will speak on the theme of "A New Nowon as Envisioned by the District Mayor and Resident Self-Governance Councils," sharing his vision and direction for community self-governance.
The district's resident self-governance activities, including the festival-style assemblies, are also generating new models of participation. In July, the Hagye 1-dong Resident Self-Governance Council became the first in the country to establish a dedicated disability affairs subcommittee, creating a foundation for residents with and without disabilities to participate together. In a departure from the middle-aged demographic that typically dominates such councils, Wolgye 1-dong and Gongreung 1-dong have also launched youth subcommittees to broaden young residents' involvement in local governance.
"The greatest value of the resident-proposed project initiative lies in having residents — who know their community's problems best — directly propose the solutions," District Mayor Seo said. "We will actively support resident participation so that projects addressing everyday inconveniences are faithfully reflected in the budget."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
