Suwon City Publishes White Paper on Ilwol Arboretum Project

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon Metropolitan City announced on the 26th that it has published "Ilwol Arboretum, A Special Garden of Suwon Citizens," which documents the 9-year process of the Ilwol Arboretum project from the establishment of the 'Suwon Arboretum Implementation Plan' in 2014 to its opening in May of this year.

The white paper is composed of 6 chapters including "Ilwol Arboretum," which contains the background, circumstances, and details of the arboretum project, along with △Ilwol Arboretum's footsteps △Ilwol Arboretum embracing history △The uniqueness and beauty of Ilwol Arboretum △Taking big steps together △Ilwol Arboretum's achievements and future direction.

In 2014, Suwon City planned to create an "urban-type arboretum" to provide citizens with a place of rest where they could feel close to nature, and held a briefing session for the establishment of the "Suwon Arboretum." This was the moment the Ilwol Arboretum took its first step.

In 2015, Suwon City conducted a prior review study for the Suwon Arboretum site, and Ilwol Park (Jangan-gu) and Younghung Park (Yeongtong-gu) were selected as candidate sites. In 2017, the Korea Local Administration Research Institute conducted a "feasibility study on the construction of Suwon (Ilwol) Arboretum," with a B/C (cost-benefit analysis) of 1.489, determining it to be economically viable. In July 2018, the Korea Forest Service approved the "designation of Suwon Arboretum site," and in December of that year, the agency began detailed design services.

After preparations, construction finally began in November 2020, was completed in December of last year, and opened on May 19 of this year.

Established within Ilwol Park in Cheoncheon-dong, Jangan-gu, with an area of 101,500 square meters, the Ilwol Arboretum is Suwon City's "ecological landmark arboretum" that serves public purposes such as systematic plant collection and research, ecological conservation, and ecological education.

The arboretum is composed of 8 themed gardens including an exhibition greenhouse showcasing Mediterranean plants, a "forest garden" displaying the beauty of forests, a "wetland garden" incorporating aquatic plants, a "decorative garden" where flowers bloom throughout the four seasons, a "dry garden" featuring hardy plants that thrive in harsh climatic conditions, and a "rainwater garden" demonstrating water circulation and utilization processes.

The Ilwol Arboretum is also a "citizen participation-type arboretum" created together with citizens. In March 2019, a citizens' forum was held with the theme "Suwon Citizens Create an Arboretum," where citizen opinions were gathered, and in the same year, a "communication box" was operated within Ilwol Park where the Suwon Arboretum would be built, collecting 1,040 citizen suggestions. These citizen opinions were reflected in the design.

The white paper presented the following as "the future direction for the Ilwol Arboretum": △providing life-cycle arboretum services △securing professional expertise in arboretum through domestic and international cooperation △serving as an outpost for promoting Suwon's pet plant culture.

In his preface, Suwon Metropolitan City Mayor Lee Jae-jun stated, "I personally planned this arboretum as vice mayor, hoping to have natural facilities befitting a city of 1.2 million people, so I have greater affection for it," and added, "With the opening of Ilwol Arboretum and Younghung Arboretum, Suwon is now a city where one can reach an arboretum within 20 minutes."

He continued, "I hope the Ilwol Arboretum will be developed richly as an 'environmental landmark' that protects Suwon's ecosystem and as a 'tourism landmark' that actively exchanges with other botanical gardens and grows together with them."