Gwangju Dong-gu Initiates Maintenance of Urban Eyesore 'Vacant Houses'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Im Taek) announced on the 17th that it will undertake a large-scale maintenance of vacant houses left in a dilapidated state in the city center.

Vacant houses are defined by relevant laws as houses that have not been occupied or used for more than one year from the date of confirmation of residence or usage. Through this project, Dong-gu plans to prevent safety accidents that can easily occur due to aging houses and buildings and improve the urban residential environment.

Following the enactment of the Special Act on the Maintenance of Vacant Houses and Small-scale Houses in 2018, Dong-gu commissioned the Korea Appraisal Board in 2019 to conduct a survey on vacant houses and established a "Vacant House Maintenance Plan" containing utilization measures for vacant houses last year.

This year, based on the results of the commissioned survey, the district classified 404 locations determined to be vacant houses into four grades and plans to maintain and utilize the vacant houses according to their grades.

For grades 1 to 2 (general), administrative support will be provided using the Vacant House Information System and Vacant House Platform, and voluntary maintenance will be encouraged through sharing vacant house information.

Grade 3 (poor condition) houses will be managed intensively by installing fences and other safety measures and notifying the police and fire stations. For grade 4 houses requiring demolition, with the owner's consent, the district's architectural department will directly demolish them and utilize the space for public purposes such as parking lots, vegetable gardens, and rest areas for three years in accordance with the surrounding environment.

Additionally, 12 vacant house-dense areas comprising 63 houses in Seoseok-dong, Sansu-dong, and Gyelim-dong will be separately designated and maintained in connection with urban regeneration certified projects and resident contest projects.

Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, said, "We will continue to promote the maintenance of vacant houses that threaten residents' safety and spoil the city's aesthetics," adding, "We will link vacant house maintenance with the urban regeneration projects actively promoted in Dong-gu to create an urban environment where all residents can live with peace of mind."

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