Press conference on the 22nd, announcement of ‘Suwon-style Urban Regeneration 2.0 Project’
‘Faster, Bigger, Easier’ “Will accelerate large-scale redevelopment of aging residential areas”,
“Suwon, the largest local government in Korea with a population of over 1.23 million, has set foot towards a future city by establishing the ‘Urban Regeneration Basic Plan for Aging City’ and accelerating large-scale redevelopment of aging residential areas,”
‘The project was envisioned by urban expert Mayor Lee Jae-joon. Mayor Lee Jae-joon held a press conference at the Suwon City Hall meeting room on the 22nd to announce the ‘Suwon-style Urban Regeneration 2.0 Project.’
“Mayor Lee stated, “Now is the golden time for Suwon City’s urban redevelopment and transformation.” He pointed out that Suwon’s city center is aging, with over 60% of low-rise residential areas and more than 25% of collective housing complexes being over 30 years old as of the end of 2023. If the current trend continues, it is projected that by 2040, approximately 80% of residential areas will become aging,”
“We will swiftly prepare the foundation for transitioning into a future city in accordance with the enforcement of the ‘Special Act on Urban Redevelopment and Support for Aging City Plans.’ Once the Urban Regeneration Basic Plan is established, we can designate special redevelopment zones by combining multiple areas and grant various exemptions to carry out integrated redevelopment such as comprehensive reconstruction within the zones,” he added.
“Suwon City plans to complete the Urban Regeneration Basic Plan by the end of 2025. The ‘model district’ that will serve as a prototype for aging city regeneration will be selected based on factors such as community participation, urgency of residential environment improvement, contribution to urban function enhancement, and ripple effects on the surrounding areas,”
“The Suwon-style Urban Regeneration 2.0 Project, as unveiled by Mayor Lee, is being driven by three key strategies: ‘Faster, Bigger, Easier.’ ‘Faster’ policies include ‘accelerated large-scale redevelopment of aging areas’ and ‘expedited implementation of aging city center redevelopment projects.’
“‘Expedited implementation of aging city center redevelopment projects’ aims to reduce the timeframe for designating new redevelopment areas from the current 5 to 10 years to just 2 years. To achieve this, a new approach of ‘community proposal for redevelopment area designation’ will be introduced in the latter half of this year. We will establish ‘residential planning’ by dividing Suwon City into 19 zones, allowing citizens to propose redevelopment area designations every 2 years. Additionally, we have adjusted the floor area ratio incentives for redevelopment,” he explained.
“Mayor Lee mentioned that ‘the process of amending ordinances to revise the basic plan is currently underway,’ and he stated, ‘After the ordinance revision, we will publicly solicit candidate sites for redevelopment and swiftly carry out projects in areas where residential environment improvements are urgently needed.’ Expected candidate sites include Yeongtong District, Maetan District, Gwonseon District, Jeongja District, and Cheoncheon District,”
“‘Bigger’ policies include ‘promoting high-density mixed-use development in station areas,’ ‘New Light Town,’ and ‘New Light Assurance Lease Housing.’ The high-density mixed-use development in station areas is aimed at creating a mixed-use development model tailored to each station area, with a focus on developing triple and double station areas as central hubs. The city expects to identify and develop more than 21 station areas in the future,”
“Mayor Lee stated, ‘We will consider increasing the legal maximum floor area ratio by up to 120% within 500m from station platforms. We will also explore raising the maximum level of residential areas to quasi-residential zones within 200m of the station.'”
“‘New Light Town’ encourages the integration of small-scale individual redevelopment projects to expand project areas and increase profitability through land use zoning upgrades and public support. ‘New Light Assurance Lease Housing’ aims to provide priority housing to residents in need of housing stability, such as migrants due to redevelopment projects, youth, and newlyweds, in newly constructed apartments where they can live for a minimum of 20 years with approximately 70% of market rent serving as a deposit. By 2026, around 90 units will be secured, with long-term plans to secure around 2000 units,”
“‘Easier’ focuses on putting citizens at the center of all urban redevelopment policies. Initiatives include ‘Community-based New Light Education’ to disseminate information on new redevelopment project policies, laws, and business regulations, ‘Mobile Redevelopment Counseling’ staffed by 21 experts in various fields for consultation, and ‘New Light Citizens Urban Redevelopment School’ to provide specialized education on urban redevelopment procedures and processes to citizens,”
“Mayor Lee pledged, ‘I will fully support the revitalization of Suwon across the board and transform it into a vibrant, competitive future city through the Suwon-style Urban Regeneration 2.0 Project.'”
Mayor Lee Jae-joon, Suwon Mayor, who announced the Suwon city center redevelopment on the 22nd/Photo provided by Suwon Mayor’s Office ,