Red Letters Like 'Demolition' That Mar Gyeonggi-do Redevelopment Areas Will Disappear

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has decided to ban spray markings and actively utilize banners and design stickers to improve the appearance of buildings left unattended due to redevelopment and other maintenance projects.

On the 19th, the province announced that it has prepared and will implement the "Appearance Improvement Plan for Maintenance Areas Under Relocation (Draft)" containing these measures.

As a result of a field survey conducted in seven maintenance areas in Suwon and Anyang, the province found that buildings where relocation was completed were disorderly marked with red spray paint, stickers, or vinyl tape with words like "demolition" and "vacant," worsening the urban landscape. It was also found that damaged gates or insufficient closure of entrances were accelerating slumification.

Accordingly, the province requested city and county authorities, which are approval agencies for maintenance projects, to include measures to prevent aesthetic damage to vacant buildings as conditions for project implementation plans and management disposition approvals. It also plans to create and distribute improved design drafts of stickers or banners indicating vacant houses to the cities and counties. If these conditions are not met, necessary actions such as correction orders, cancellation of approvals, and suspension of construction will be taken.

The province will particularly ask project implementers through city and county offices to cooperate in preventing aesthetic damage to vacant buildings in areas where relocation is underway. For already damaged sites, it will selectively support with provincial funds, mainly along main roads, to improve appearance by covering building exteriors with large banners.

Additionally, the province will promote amendments to the current "Gyeonggi-do Urban and Residential Environment Maintenance Ordinance" to include management plans before demolition of relocated buildings in the demolition plans for existing buildings.

Hong Ji-seon, Director of the Urban Housing Office of the province, said, "We established improvement measures because we felt sorry for the bleak and gloomy neighborhood atmosphere seen through the eyes of residents remaining in redevelopment and other maintenance areas, especially children. Through this plan, we will improve the appearance of maintenance areas undergoing relocation in the province and prevent them from becoming blind spots for public safety."

Meanwhile, there are currently 40 maintenance areas in 14 cities and counties including Suwon, Ansan, and Namyangju that have received management disposition approval but have not yet started construction. The average relocation period from approval of the management disposition plan to the start of construction is about two years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.