[Special Feature] "Yeonmu Village's Transformation Is No Crime" ... Reborn as a Smart Happy Living Space!

[News S=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] A village once declining due to deteriorated infrastructure and rising elderly population is undergoing a major transformation into a happy living space for residents. Yeonmu-dong in Jangan-gu, which has been revitalized through Suwon City's seven-year urban regeneration New Deal project, is the protagonist of this change. We examine the transformation of Yeonmu Village outside Dongmun, which has expanded necessary infrastructure, established a safe living environment, and supported residents' community activities to become a healthy and happy neighborhood.

◇'Yeonmu Village Eoulrim Hub,' a living center for village elders

Recently, a neat four-story building was newly constructed in a corner inside Yeonmu Village, which surrounds Dongcomunsan Park and Tungssobawi Park in Jangan-gu, Suwon in an 'S' shape.

The new building, which stands out distinctly with its three-dimensional exterior resembling stacked boxes of different sizes on each floor and its height rising above low-rise houses, is named 'Yeonmu Village Eoulrim Hub.'

Yeonmu Village Eoulrim Hub was developed at 257-17 Yeonmu-dong with one basement level and four above-ground floors, covering a total floor area of 1,496 square meters.

It is a citizen-centered living hub providing essential community services for Yeonmu-dong residents.

On the first floor are a village cafe and village workshop, while the second floor features a smart farm with applied smart technology and a mixed reality (MR) sports space that help neighbors communicate and engage in activities without weather concerns, all nearby.

The most special space is the 'small bathhouse.' It is the only bathhouse facility in this neighborhood.

The men's and women's baths, the core of the bathhouse, are small in scale but exceptionally clean. Each features hot water baths, saunas, shower facilities, and powder rooms—everything necessary, rivaling luxury apartment community facilities. The building is designed so that while the front entrance leads to the basement level, the rear entrance with a level difference allows entry as if from the first floor.

The spacious common hall at the entrance is open for use as a gathering space where people can rest anytime.

Yeonmu-dong residents pay 6,000 won to use the facility, while seniors and children pay 3,000 won, and non-residents pay 8,000 won.

Another resident hub reflecting Yeonmu Village's unique characteristics is the 'Eoulrim Healthy Living Support Center,' which opened on the third and fourth floors of the same building.

Reflecting Yeonmu-dong's characteristic of having a large elderly population, Jangan-gu Health Center operates this community healthcare facility with a focus on dementia prevention and health management functions.

On the third floor, integrated health screening services covering five basic health tests—blood pressure, blood sugar, and more—are provided, and smart equipment allows for body shape analysis.

Subsequently, personalized exercise prescriptions and posture correction services are offered, attracting popularity.

Additionally, an exercise room equipped with elderly-specialized exercise machines offers a circulation exercise program led by an exercise physiologist, which has gained positive response and even led to residents' voluntary club activities.

On the fourth floor program room, services for dementia prevention are provided.

Seniors can enjoy artificial intelligence health management programs designed for dementia prevention. From physical measurements to daily exercise, singing exercises, and cognitive improvement, everything can be enjoyed like a game.

Special equipment is installed so seniors can exercise like playing games or engage in brain training that borrows from their favorite games, available anytime.

Jung Jin-gyu, chairman of the Yeonmu-dong urban regeneration New Deal resident consultative body who led the project, said, "Residents unanimously praise how Yeonmu-dong has become a better place to live thanks to the small bathhouse and the Eoulrim Healthy Living Support Center."

◇Safe and convenient Yeonmu Village where children and elderly coexist

Starting from the small bathhouse entrance at Eoulrim Hub and traveling down an alley about 50 meters toward Suwon Stream, you can find another new building next to a park.

The 'Intergenerational Eoulrim Center' is characterized by its distinctive exterior featuring arch-shaped windows connecting two to three floors, which creates a more spacious open feeling than its actual size.

The first and second floors function as a senior center, while the third and fourth floors operate as the Together Care Center, serving as a place where elderly residents and children of Yeonmu-dong coexist.

The senior hall on the lower level was a long-cherished wish of the neighborhood. Despite having many elderly residents, the original senior center was so deteriorated that renovations were difficult, and even bathroom use was inconvenient.

To create a community hub where all generations could thrive, Suwon City applied experienced administrative expertise to pursue site zoning changes, continuing the senior center's history while alleviating user inconveniences.

Additionally, the Together Care Center Branch 13 operates on the upper floors.

It helps approximately 20 students from nearby Yeonmu Elementary and Changyong Elementary schools spend their after-school hours safely.

Equipped with study desks, play spaces, and cooking facilities, it provides meticulous services so children needing care can stay comfortably.

Beyond these two hubs, infrastructure improvements to enhance living convenience have been implemented throughout Yeonmu Village.

As cleaner neighborhoods, orderly parking, and safe living environments gradually become complete, Yeonmu Village residents are experiencing positive changes in quality of life.

Ssalbak Mountain Children's Park, located right next to the Eoulrim Center, was remodeled with the latest equipment in 2022.

In addition to new facilities, newly constructed rest shelters within the park were developed as smart pagodas where anyone can comfortably use wireless chargers and other amenities.

A village parking lot was created around Tungssobawi Park, the center of the village.

To preserve the original terrain while maximizing existing space, horizontal parking was converted to vertical parking.

As a result, parking spaces doubled from 21 to 41. Deck walkways were installed around the park to achieve a dual benefit of resolving inconveniences and safety issues caused by illegal parking.

The winding village alleys have also been neatly maintained.

Slopes threatening pedestrian safety received anti-slip paving, while fences and street lamps were improved for better aesthetics.

Traffic calming techniques, including vehicle speed reduction facilities, were applied to create a village environment where pedestrians can move safely.

The Suwon Stream waterfront bordering the village perimeter improved green spaces and access points, becoming cleaner and safer than before.

Decks, benches, and rest shelters were installed in various locations for residents to relax, making waterfront space utilization more feasible.

◇Turning point for a declining village, Yeonmu-dong urban regeneration New Deal project

The origin of Yeonmu Village's transformation traces back to 2019 when Suwon City's Yeonmu-dong urban regeneration New Deal project began.

Yeonmu-dong, originally a natural settlement district outside Suwon Hwaseong Fortress's East Gate, was divided into north and south sections when Gyeongsu-daero opened in the 1980s. The northern village, in particular, had a very high proportion of elderly residents.

As of 2018, among 5,179 residents, 1,082 people were age 65 or older, representing 20.9%—more than double Suwon City's elderly population ratio of 9.3% at the time.

The village's decline was also rapid. Population and business establishment reduction met the urban regeneration basic policy's deterioration standards.

Multi-family and single-family houses exceeded 75%, and six out of ten buildings were over 30 years old, indicating poor condition.

Furthermore, among basic living infrastructure facilities (living SOC), elementary schools, senior centers, and public parking lots failed to meet minimum standards.

Suwon City promoted the urban regeneration New Deal project to revitalize the declining Yeonmu-dong.

The city invested 40.7 billion won over approximately 97,000 square meters in Yeonmu-dong area with the goal of creating 'a happy living space for Yeonmu-dong outside East Gate.'

The city operated the urban regeneration project on two axes: integrated care for Yeonmu Village elders with community support and resident-based smart urban regeneration.

In particular, Suwon City compiled resident opinions through community meetings, public hearings, surveys, and urban regeneration universities, improving residential areas according to residents' wishes, specializing in regional characteristics, and fostering community. Expanding on this, a village economic cooperative with approximately 10 resident participants was established, currently operating a village cafe, workshop, and small bathhouse while working to build self-reliance.

◇Village upgrade through smart infrastructure and living support

Yeonmu-dong's urban regeneration New Deal project provided a turning point beyond physical improvements to declining neighborhoods, establishing advanced systems.

By adding a smart city-type project and introducing intelligent infrastructure across the board, Yeonmu Village with a high proportion of elderly residents was transformed into a youthful space.

As a result, Yeonmu Village has become a village concentrated with cutting-edge technology where smart facilities are easily discovered wherever the eye looks and feet tread.

Suwon City concentrated smart facilities and systems in Yeonmu Village.

Starting with the construction of a remote meter reading system in 2021 that collects and analyzes water meter readings in real-time, the city installed mobile closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor illegal dumping.

Additionally, four fine dust signal lights providing air pollution information, two smart bus shelters enabling comfortable bus waiting, and four smart pagodas—relaxation spaces with advanced technology—were created.

Beyond these, intelligent infrastructure including intersection notification systems, connected street lights, stream access barriers, high-mast lighting, smart crosswalks, public Wi-Fi, intelligent closed-circuit television, and artificial intelligence traffic safety systems were constructed.

With various smart facilities applied, Yeonmu Village, which allows people to use superior urban infrastructure comfortably and conveniently, was able to transform into a convenient and safe neighborhood.

A Suwon City official stated, "We expect a warm welfare community to be established in Yeonmu-dong where a village bathhouse, care center, and healthy living support center are in place," and added, "We will do our best to complete the project so that all residents can enjoy safe and healthy lives."