4,795 residents vote directly to select 41 participatory budget projects for 2027
Hanam city announced Monday that it had successfully concluded its 2026 residents' assemblies, through which community members directly selected and decided on projects needed in their neighborhoods.
The city held assemblies across all 13 of its administrative neighborhoods, beginning with Gambok-dong on Aug. 25 and concluding with Deokpung 3-dong on Saturday. Each neighborhood's residents' autonomous council planned and ran its own assembly, with residents proposing projects, setting priorities and taking an active role in resolving local issues through self-governance.
The assemblies carried particular significance as forums for sharing the year's achievements in community self-governance, and because 4,795 residents across the 13 neighborhoods cast direct votes to determine participatory budget projects.
To capture the views of more residents, many neighborhood councils held on-site voting and pre-assembly opinion surveys before the assemblies took place. The move lowered the barrier to participation, allowing residents to voice their opinions and choose needed projects in the course of their daily lives.
Resident participation translated into concrete project selections. Of 51 proposals put forward across the 13 neighborhoods, 41 were ultimately chosen as participatory budget projects for 2027. Because residents chose the projects themselves, the selections were dominated by everyday, community-oriented initiatives with a direct impact on daily life.
The projects chosen, reflecting residents' interests and each neighborhood's distinct character, include the Neunti Tree Festival in Cheonhyeon-dong; a dementia-prevention laughter therapy program in Sinjang 1-dong; the Hanam Spring Culture Festival in Sinjang 2-dong; a kimchi-making competition in Deokpung 1-dong; a healing concert with residents in Deokpung 2-dong; the Narul Children's Art Competition in Deokpung 3-dong; a traditional games experience event in Misa 1-dong; a Han River moonlight outdoor film festival in Misa 2-dong; a children's plogging event for environmental improvement along Mangwolcheon stream in Misa 3-dong; a 10,000-step walk with environmental awareness on Iljasan mountain in Gambok-dong; an outdoor exercise class in Gamil-dong; and a family harmony event for Family Month in Choi-dong.
The selections span a wide range of areas — festivals and cultural events, health, the environment, and intergenerational and family communication. Particularly notable is the large number of projects designed for participation and benefit across generations and social groups, including children, youth and the elderly, reflecting residents' commitment to building a community where people come together and connect.
Hanam Mayor Lee Hyeon-jae said the residents' assembly is "a prime venue for community self-governance, where residents themselves identify local issues and directly decide on the projects their neighborhoods need," adding that the city would "actively support the projects residents have chosen so they translate into real improvements in quality of life."
Lee added that the city would "continue to expand a range of policies grounded in resident participation and do its utmost to create a more livable Hanam by bringing about changes that citizens can feel in their everyday lives."
Hanam plans to work with relevant departments to provide ongoing administrative and fiscal support, ensuring the 2027 participatory budget projects selected at this year's assemblies deliver tangible results for residents.
In addition, the city intends to keep strengthening community self-governance capacity — including by offering AI-assisted agenda-development training for residents' council members ahead of future assemblies, so they can identify issues suited to each neighborhood's characteristics and residents' needs.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
