Suwon City Develops Urban Parks to Actively Respond to Climate Crisis

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon City's urban parks are being transformed into user-centered parks that not only actively respond to the climate crisis but also provide greater convenience and enjoyment for citizens.

To this end, Suwon City recently implemented the second amendment to the "Suwon City Urban Park Creation Guidelines." Based on the amended guidelines, the city plans to provide optimal park services through climate crisis-responsive park planning and design, and the creation of user-centered park usage environments.

The core content of the guidelines includes △low-maintenance urban forest park planning that considers ecological environment and maintenance costs △designation and operation of master planners (MP) for parks larger than 20,000㎡ △securing sustainability of trees through quality soil foundation △multi-layered forest design to respond to abnormal weather such as extreme heat and fine dust △introduction of eco-friendly energy facilities.

The key content of this second amendment includes △establishment of "carbon-neutral soil foundation creation standards" using eco-friendly soil amendment material biochar △presentation of "high carbon-absorption tree and plant species selection" △presentation of "Low Impact Development (LID) techniques" in accordance with Suwon City's urban water circulation plan △clarification of legal standards and application timing for Barrier-Free (BF) certification △play space planning focused on children's basic play forms △establishment of standards for barefoot walking paths in parks, guidance for space planning harmonizing with existing usage patterns and prevention of facility proliferation △guidelines for park creation plan decision procedures according to applications proposed by "private park promoters" under Article 16, Paragraph 3 of the "Park and Green Space Act," etc.

The guidelines focused on supplementing detailed content for clear delivery and understanding, thereby enhancing project implementers' comprehension of the guidelines.

The target for guideline application includes urban parks scheduled for free transfer due to private development, and urban park projects created or redeveloped through city's own projects.

Suwon City will carefully review and verify the implementer's guideline compliance checklist before the determination of park creation plans and announcement of approval of implementation plans, and will create urban parks as intended by the guidelines.

Meanwhile, the "Suwon City Urban Park Creation Guidelines" were initially announced on August 31, 2022, and underwent the first amendment announcement on July 13, 2023.

A Suwon City official stated, "We will operate guidelines that align with Suwon City's policy direction as a carbon-neutral leading city in the era of climate crisis," and added, "We will apply and verify consistent guidelines that our city pursues in the series of park creation projects, preserve sustainable urban environments, and continue to develop user-centered barrier-free urban parks."