From Landfill to Lush: Ansan's 'Sae-ro-sup' Reborn as an Ecological Oasis
[By Kyung-sook Choi]
Did you know that Ansan was once home to a space known for a long time as a 'landfill'?
Literally a place where trash piled up, the Ansan Shihwa Landfill, once difficult to even access, is now preparing to be reborn under the name 'Sae-ro-sup' (New Forest).
This is the story of 'Sae-ro-sup,' the official name of the Gyeonggi Provincial Garden.
Commencement Ceremony Announcing the Start of Ansan Sae-ro-sup ⓒ Gyeonggi Province
'Sae-ro-sup,' even the name is meaningful.
On November 17th, Gyeonggi Province held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Gyeonggi Provincial Garden construction project in Bono-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, and officially declared the name 'Sae-ro-sup.'
'Sae-ro-sup' embodies the meaning of 'new forest' and 'nature reborn.'
It's a name that reflects the will to transform a space that was once a place of waste and pollution into a space of ecology and coexistence.
It's not just a pretty name; it's also a symbolic message showing how Gyeonggi Province intends to respond to and act on the climate crisis.
The Past of the Landfill, and a New Beginning
The site where Sae-ro-sup is located was a place where household waste from eight cities and counties was landfilled from 1987 to 1992.
After landfilling ended, it underwent post-management until 2016 and was closed, but it was still a place with a strong image of 'abandoned land.'
That forgotten land is being transformed into Sae-ro-sup, a 450,000㎡ space, with a total investment of 98.9 billion won.
450,000㎡... hard to imagine, right?
It's a massive scale, equivalent to over 60 soccer fields, or two Yeouido Parks side by side.
A bird's-eye view of Sae-ro-sup, newly appearing in 2027 ⓒ Gyeonggi Province
Following design and administrative procedures since 2021, this groundbreaking marks the beginning of a full-fledged transformation.
Sae-ro-sup aims to fully open in 2027, and when the first phase opens in April 2026, a space connecting the garden (180,000㎡) and Ansan Reed Wetland (400,000㎡) will be unveiled to the public first.
I'm already curious to see what it will look like.
Not a 'Viewing Garden' but a 'Participating Garden'
Sae-ro-sup, coming to us in this new form, is not just a space for taking a walk.
Various themed gardens will be created, including a welcoming garden, an appreciation garden, a relaxation garden,
a climate garden, and a participation garden, and it will be operated as a complex garden where education, experience, and relaxation are possible.
A garden support center and visitor center to support each garden will also be built together.
In particular, it is special in that it will be operated as a 'participatory garden' where citizen gardeners, local farms, and garden experts participate together, allowing anyone to work, learn, and rest.
In this way, Sae-ro-sup will be a space for rest and an open learning space where you can learn how to live with nature.
A Green Network Connecting Ecology and Tourism
Also, the birth of Sae-ro-sup is dreaming of bigger things.
Gyeonggi Province plans to link Sae-ro-sup with nearby ecological resources such as the Ansan Reed Wetland and Hwaseong Bibong Wetland,
to build a complex ecological belt connecting 'garden-wetland-waterfront.'
Through this, Sae-ro-sup will grow into an ecological hub and eco-friendly tourist resource representing the southern part of Gyeonggi Province,
and in the long term, it plans to become a center of garden culture.
As a first step towards this,
even at the groundbreaking ceremony, the amount of carbon dioxide (3 tons) generated from the event was purchased from the 'Forest Carbon Center' for forest carbon absorption, and it was certified as an event that realized carbon zero (neutrality).
3 tons of carbon is the amount absorbed in one year by a 10-year-old pine forest in the central region the size of one soccer field.
Through these practices, we were able to see that Sae-ro-sup's plan to be reborn as a mecca of eco-friendly resources is not just hope but practice.
Commencement Ceremony Announcing the Start of Ansan Sae-ro-sup ⓒ Gyeonggi Province
The future picture of land burying garbage turning into a forest where people breathe and rest conveys a message beyond simple development, I think.
'Sae-ro-sup' is transforming into a space where natural recovery, urban regeneration, and action on the climate crisis are linked as one.
What is certain is that Sae-ro-sup is a 'space that heals me, us, and the Earth,'
and I believe it will be a forest loved by everyone.
Let's keep an eye on it.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/gyeonggi_gov/224090537523
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