Busan Redesigns Inner City Alleys for Crime Prevention

The police likewise redesigned the alley in Gupo 3-dong with new pavement. CCTV cameras and solar powered LED lamps were installed as countermeasures against crime as part of an 8.88 million won investment in the area. (Image: Yonhap)

BUSAN, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Dark and intimidating alleyways have become warm and brightly lit walking paths as Busan continues to make efforts to reduce crime.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency announced on January 16 that it had undertaken “crime prevention through environmental design” (CPTED) in two alleys located in Bugok 2-dong, Geumgjong District and Gupo 3-dong, Buk District.

For two months, the police crime prevention unit undertook an inspection of the neighborhood and collected the opinions of residents before implementing the alley’s redesigns.

The police invested 10 million won in the alley in Bugok 2-dong, increasing the number of street lamps, repainting walls and paving the path in a bright red lined with white. (Image: Busan Metropolitan Police Agency)

The police invested 10 million won in the alley in Bugok 2-dong, increasing the number of street lamps, repainting walls and paving the path in a bright red lined with white. The lack of safety features along this alley was a point of discomfort for many local pedestrians in the past.

The police hope the changes will alleviate the fears of locals, who have been wary of dark, unlit backstreets since a rape occurred in the area some years ago. Many of the neighborhood’s inhabitants are women who live in one room residences.