The Shincheon-dong Community Council in Siheung City has been awarded the top prize at the Gyeonggi Province Community Governance Excellence Case Competition for its initiative to alleviate parking shortages in the old city center. The council facilitated the opening of unused parking spaces at schools, religious facilities, and commercial areas for local residents.
According to the city, the Shincheon-dong Community Council represented Siheung at the '2026 Gyeonggi Province Community Governance Excellence Case Competition' held on July 28 at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office's Dasan Hall, where they presented their project titled 'Transforming Daily Life: Shincheon-dong Shared Parking' and received the highest award.
The Gyeonggi Province Community Governance Excellence Case Competition is held annually to share and disseminate projects that community councils and committees have developed to identify and solve local issues. The selection process combines scores from written evaluations and on-site presentations.
This year, 15 out of 29 participating cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province advanced to the finals after passing the initial written evaluation. They presented their projects focusing on implementation processes, community participation, sustainability, and the impact on local communities.
The Shincheon-dong Shared Parking initiative was developed in response to the challenges of securing new public parking spaces in a densely populated area. It allows residents to share parking lots at schools, churches, and commercial establishments during off-peak hours.
The Shincheon-dong Community Council actively identified available parking spaces and persuaded facility managers to participate. They also addressed potential issues related to operating hours, user eligibility, safety management, and maintaining order, laying the groundwork for the project's sustainability.
Notably, the initiative received high praise for utilizing existing spaces without the need for large-scale facility development or land acquisition, thereby reducing inconveniences for residents. The community council's involvement in every aspect of the project, from identifying issues to negotiating facility use and managing users, was particularly commended.
As a result of this award, Siheung City will receive 10 million won in project funding, and the Shincheon-dong Community Council plans to enhance the operation of the shared parking initiative and pursue follow-up projects to ensure its continued success in the community.
In the Daeya and Shincheon areas of Siheung City, both a resident priority parking system and shared parking are in operation, allowing residents to apply for parking spaces based on their residence and business locations. The city is working to improve the utilization of existing parking spaces by combining time-limited openings with resident priority parking.
The event also featured a talk concert with representatives from four towns that have won awards in the Gyeonggi Province Community Governance Excellence Case Competition multiple times over the past five years. Siheung's Jeongwang 2-dong shared its experiences in promoting resident participation and managing projects with other regions.
Previously, in 2023, Siheung City won the top award at the Gyeonggi Province Community Governance Excellence Case Competition for a resident participation-based educational governance project led by the Jeongwang 2-dong Community Council, which successfully connected schools and local institutions to address educational issues in the community. At that competition, Siheung also secured the top prize among 15 finalists.
Kim Jae-sung, head of Siheung City's Administrative Bureau, stated, "The award for the Shincheon-dong Community Council exemplifies the value of community governance, showcasing how residents can identify and address issues in their daily lives through collaboration with the local community. We will continue to provide necessary support to empower residents as key players in solving local problems and to further enhance community governance."
Meanwhile, Siheung City has maintained a record of winning awards at the Gyeonggi Province Community Governance Excellence Case Competition for 11 consecutive years. The city plans to utilize exemplary cases from Shincheon-dong and Jeongwang 2-dong in community governance education and sharing events to support the discovery and dissemination of resident-led projects tailored to the characteristics of each district. Gyeonggi Province is also operating educational and consulting programs to expand participation among residents and youth and to develop customized governance models for different regions.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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