Gwacheon City Designates 'Restricted Outdoor Advertising Zone' in Knowledge Information Town

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Yu Je-sung] Gwacheon City announced on the 15th that it will simultaneously implement the designation of a 'restricted outdoor advertising zone' and an advertising improvement pilot project within the Knowledge Information Town to prevent indiscriminate expansion of outdoor advertisements.

This measure comes as the expansion of commercial facility tenants has led to an increase in illegal and excessive advertisements such as vinyl wrap advertising, large signage, and intense lighting, raising concerns about damage to the urban landscape.

In particular, considering the characteristics of the Knowledge Information Town, which will be the first to be developed among new towns in Gwacheon, the city has adopted a proactive response strategy to prevent disorderly advertising environments from becoming entrenched from the initial stages of occupancy.

First, the city plans to designate the entire Knowledge Information Town as a 'restricted outdoor advertising zone.' After the designation, standards for signage quantity, size, lighting usage, and others will be strengthened compared to general areas, and administrative measures such as corrective orders, fines, enforcement fees, and administrative enforcement will be implemented in stages for violations.

In addition, an improvement pilot project will be carried out in parallel. The target areas comprise 9 public housing sites covering approximately 34,080 square meters, where signage design consulting, window advertisement improvements, and industry-specific design proposals will be conducted. For this purpose, the city will allocate 88 million won from the outdoor advertising development fund to partially support signage production and installation costs.

The city will also operate a citizen monitoring group to encourage resident participation in on-site inspections and advertisement improvements. The city plans to expand concise and orderly signage designs centered on three-dimensional and relief lettering, developing the Knowledge Information Town into a landscape model that harmonizes with buildings.

A city official stated, "The Knowledge Information Town is the symbol of Gwacheon New Town and the first completed district, and the initial quality of its landscape has a significant impact on the overall image of the city," adding, "We will apply systematic and strong standards from the beginning to prevent disorderly advertising environments from becoming entrenched."