Incheon Citizens Identify 'Stagnant Economy and Old Downtown Living Environment' as Urgent Issues

'Incheon Academy' Citizen Awareness Survey... Traffic - Youth - Education Issues in Order
Incheon Mayor's Core Policy Implementation Rate 'Below 20%' 40~44% Responded

The 2021 Annual General Meeting and Commemorative Symposium of the Incheon Academy (Chairperson Choi Soon-ja, front row center) was held on the 24th at the auditorium of Subong Library in Michuhol-gu. At this event, the results of the "Incheon Citizens' Awareness Survey" were presented and discussed. [Photo by Incheon Academy]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Citizens of Incheon identified the most urgent issues to be addressed as the 'stagnant economy' and the 'living environment of the old downtown area,' with 4 out of 10 rating the Incheon mayor's key policy implementation at '20% or less.'

On the 29th, the Incheon Academy (Chairperson Choi Sunja, former president of Inha University) announced the results of a recent public opinion survey commissioned to the polling firm R&Search, targeting 1,018 Incheon citizens (men and women aged 18 and over).

33% of respondents cited the 'stagnant economy' as the most urgent issue in Incheon, followed by 'living environment of the old downtown area (25.7%)', 'transportation system (21%)', 'youth issues (10.2%)', and 'education issues (6.5%)' in that order.

Regarding the stagnant Incheon economy, the response rates were higher among those in their 50s and 60s or older, at 39.1% and 41.3% respectively, with residents of Gyeyang-gu and Bupyeong-gu at 39%, and women (35.7%) responding more than men (30.3%).

As policies to overcome the stagnant Incheon economy, 'job creation and designation and fostering of future industries (41.1%)' was the most cited, followed by 'attracting domestic and foreign corporate investment (18.1%)', 'development of the old downtown area according to urban planning (16.4%)', and 'development of regional specialized industries and tourism products (13.3%)'. Notably, the proportion of respondents citing job creation and future industry designation and fostering was higher among those in their 20s (54.8%) and men (43.6%).

Improvement of the living environment in the old downtown area showed higher response rates among those in their 30s (33.3%) and residents of Gyeyang-gu and Bupyeong-gu (30.1%). The most frequently mentioned improvements were 'security, maintenance of vacant and dilapidated houses (36.9%)' and 'improvement of parking lots, parks, and green spaces (36.3%)', indicating a strong desire among younger generations for improvements in the old downtown living environment.

Regarding the transportation system, response rates were higher among those in their 20s to 40s than those in their 50s and 60s or older. As for proposals to improve the transportation network within Incheon, 46% of respondents chose 'construction of the Incheon Circular Subway,' followed by 18.2% selecting 'construction of the Incheon Outer Circular Road.' Particularly, the response rate for the Incheon Circular Subway construction plan was higher among those aged 60 and above (53.2%), women (49.5%), and residents of Dong-gu, Seo-gu, Jung-gu, Ganghwa-gun, and Ongjin-gun (57.5%).

Education issues saw more responses from women in their 40s (14.4%). Proposed solutions included 'eliminating educational disparities between regions (36.3%)', 'strengthening public education (29.1%)', and 'expanding Incheon city's educational financial support (13.2%)', with those in their 20s (62.7%) and 30s (59.8%) particularly emphasizing 'eliminating educational disparities between regions.'

Regarding youth issues, the response rate was highest among the youth generation in their 20s at 22.5%. Solutions cited were 'institutional improvements by Incheon city for securing housing (38.2%)', 'building trust through fair opportunity provision (25.5%)', and 'providing incentives to companies creating youth employment (14.4%)' in that order.

Especially for the housing provision plan, those in their 20s (49.8%) and 30s (51.6%) showed overwhelming support, with men (41.6%) responding more than women (34.3%).

Additionally, when asked about the implementation level of key policies of the 7th Incheon mayoral administration, such as 'Northeast Asia economic hub city, Incheon,' 'balanced development between old and new downtown areas,' and 'support for small and medium-sized enterprises with funds exceeding 1 trillion won,' 40-44% responded '20% or less.' In contrast, only 1.6-2.9% answered 'implementation level of 81% or higher.'

As criteria for selecting the next Incheon mayor, respondents ranked 'administrative ability (30.5%)', 'policies and pledges (27.6%)', 'affiliated political party (13.5%)', 'morality (10.7%)', and 'personal character (7.7%)' in that order.

Meanwhile, on the 24th, the Incheon Academy held the '2021 Regular General Meeting and Commemorative Symposium' at the auditorium of Subong Library in Michuhol-gu, attended by about 40 members.

At the event, Professor Myung Seunghwan of Inha University's Department of Public Administration presented and discussed the analysis of the Incheon citizens' public opinion survey results. Professor Myung explained, "There were stark differences by generation, region, and gender regarding solutions to urgent issues such as the stagnant economy and the living environment of the old downtown area presented by Incheon city."

Professor Jeong Yeonjae of Inha University's Frontier College, who participated as a discussant, emphasized, "According to the Incheon citizens' survey results, to quickly adapt to changes in resilience during the process of returning to pre-COVID-19 pandemic conditions, governance by the Incheon mayor (the process of political, economic, and administrative decision-making) is necessary."

Professor Seong Heehwal of Inha University Law School suggested utilizing Incheon's strengths to overcome the stagnant regional economy.

Professor Seong said, "Incheon has strengths such as an international airport, ports, and three new towns, but lacks good companies and good jobs, making it an unattractive city from an outsider's perspective. However, compared to nearby Seoul or Suwon, it is possible to expand territory by reclaiming the sea."

Therefore, he explained, "If incentives (such as providing cheap land) are offered for the territory created by sea reclamation (obtained for free) to attract good companies, the 2030 generation can naturally be drawn in, and if efforts are made to revitalize the old downtown area with subway or train stations, it can transform into a city like Pangyo."

Also, Kim Songwon, Secretary General of the Incheon Federation of Civil Society Organizations, criticized, "The survey results on the implementation of the 7th Incheon mayor's pledges showed more negative opinions than positive, which is similar to previous survey results by the Incheon Federation. (Mayor Park Namchun) sometimes changes priorities or abolishes pledges after taking office that were made before the election."

Professor Cho Minjung of Inha University's Department of Architecture proposed that improvements to Incheon's old downtown environment should be supplied from the perspective of housing welfare.

She particularly noted that youth housing issues require consideration of special characteristics (such as single and newlywed couples, functional housing related to occupations), and supply from the perspective of elderly welfare is also necessary.

She also emphasized, "For public rental housing preferred by citizens to provide a sense of pride to users, qualitative excellence and brand value must be enhanced," adding, "Innovative changes are needed, such as designs by famous architects, excellent design architecture through competitions, and providing spaces that harmonize work and family life."

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