Incheon's Jemulpo-gu District (Mayor Kim Chan-jin) announced on the 19th that it has completed a "nighttime landscape project" that installs new night lighting along the forest trail in Songhyeon Neighborhood Park. The project aims to let residents use the park safely and comfortably after dark.
 [The Korean Today] Forest trail at Songhyeon Neighborhood Park after completion of nighttime landscape project © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
The project grew out of how dark the parks in the old downtown area are. Parks without enough lighting put people off visiting in the evening and add to worries about safety. The district set out to change those conditions and, at the same time, give Songhyeon Neighborhood Park a distinctive nighttime landscape so that residents would feel more at ease visiting the park.
The lighting design took into account how the park is used. Because many visitors to Songhyeon Neighborhood Park come with their families, the district designed the lighting to keep light pollution, which burdens the surrounding environment, as low as possible. Rather than simply making the area brighter, the design focused on putting as much light as needed where it is needed.
Safety features were also strengthened. The district raised lighting levels on the trail, on stairways and around rest areas to lower the risk of accidents caused by poor visibility underfoot, and removed blind spots to make crime prevention more effective. The changes are expected to make a real difference for residents who visit the park for evening exercise or a walk after work.
The district expects the project to make the park's nighttime scenery more attractive and to give residents a new kind of walk they have not had before. The project targets two benefits at once: better safety and an improved landscape.
"Through this project, the forest trail at Songhyeon Neighborhood Park has been transformed into a safer and more pleasant place for residents to relax," Jemulpo-gu District Mayor Kim Chan-jin said. "We will continue working to improve park environments so that residents can enjoy the park's nature in their daily lives and use it comfortably."
Urban parks are the closest places to relax for residents of the old downtown area. With the forest trail, once used only during the day, now open to use at night as well, the park is expected to serve more purposes and improve residents' quality of life. It remains to be seen whether this design approach, which takes light pollution into account, will be applied to environmental improvements at other parks in the old downtown area.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
Become a Local Ambassador Apply as Branch Director The Korean Today — Nam-Incheon
 |
<저작권자 ⓒ 코리안투데이(The Korean Today) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지>
