District priorities include a multipurpose cultural and sports center, a debt-relief support center and a plan to plant 5 million trees
Mapo-gu has finalized five strategic goals and 67 campaign pledges to realize its 9th elected-term governing vision of "Mapo on the Move Again — A Future We Build Together."
The district focused on policies that residents can feel in their daily lives, spanning expanded space and transportation infrastructure, community sports facilities, AI-powered administration, life-cycle care services, culture and green space, and education and youth support.
To that end, the district reviewed implementation conditions for each pledge project from June onward and held a pledge-fulfillment review briefing in August to assess specificity and feasibility. It then re-examined funding, sites and regulatory frameworks before finalizing the 67 commitments to residents on Oct. 7.
The five strategic goals are: "Vibrant Mapo — Innovating Space," "Smart Mapo — Safe and Convenient through AI Technology," "Secure Mapo — Care as a Way of Life," "Healing Mapo — Culture Along Forest Paths," and "Future Mapo — A Confident Tomorrow."
The "Vibrant Mapo" goal encompasses 30 projects, including the construction of a new Gongdeok-dong community center and the relocation of the Yeomni-dong community center; the development of multipurpose cultural and sports centers at the Mapo retention basin, Ahyeon-dong and Saetteosan, as well as a below-ground swimming pool at Sinsu Children's Park; environmental improvements in neighborhoods dense with single-family and multi-unit housing; expanded support for apartment community centers; and broader backing for local commercial district revitalization.
The "Smart Mapo" goal comprises eight projects: building an AI-powered administrative assistant called "Mapo Brain," pursuing the construction of a safety experience center, expanding AI-equipped CCTV coverage, and providing expert support for redevelopment and reconstruction areas. Of these, Mapo Brain launched full operations for district staff in August and has become a core tool for improving administrative efficiency.
The "Secure Mapo" goal covers 14 projects, including expanding shared childcare spaces in apartment complexes, providing a newborn welcome package, offering transportation subsidies through the Mapo Aitada program, establishing a debt-relief support center, running a senior meal service and expanding a mutual-care housing program.
To support the debt-relief support center's operations, the district enacted what it says is the nation's first municipal ordinance establishing and governing such a center in Mapo-gu, Seoul, providing a legal foundation for its work.
The "Healing Mapo" goal brings together seven projects aimed at creating a city where culture and nature coexist: planting 5 million trees through the Mapo Healing Forest Project, developing a cultural tourism belt along the Hongdae Street Renaissance corridor, and creating 10 recommended walking routes across the district.
The "Future Mapo" goal includes eight projects — among them building a next-generation one-stop education special zone, expanding education expense subsidies, constructing the Yeomni Youth Center, and supporting youth employment and entrepreneurship — all aimed at strengthening the development foundation for children, teenagers and young adults.
The district plans to prepare a pledge implementation plan this month detailing specific steps, annual targets and performance indicators for each project. The plan will then be reviewed and refined through input from a resident-led pledge evaluation committee before being published on the Mapo-gu website in January. Progress and fulfillment records will be monitored regularly to improve management transparency.
"Campaign pledges are promises built on trust with residents, so putting them into practice and following through is what matters most," District Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said. "We will push forward on all 67 projects with momentum while carefully managing funding and procedures to deliver changes that residents can feel in their everyday lives."
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