Seoul City Expands Urban Planning Authority of Autonomous Districts for Parking Lots and Sports Facilities Installation... Rapid Supply of Living SOC

Rational Adjustment of City Planning Authority Between City and Districts: 'Seoul City Urban Planning Ordinance' Amended and Promulgated on the 10th
Expansion of Urban Planning Facility Site Area Decidable by Autonomous Districts from 3,000㎡ or Less to Less than 5,000㎡

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is delegating the authority to decide on the installation or modification of urban planning facilities such as parking lots between 3,000㎡ and less than 5,000㎡, cultural and sports facilities, youth training facilities, and markets to autonomous districts. As a result, the process of urban planning facility decisions will no longer require the autonomous districts to request proposals from the city and the city to issue decision notifications, shortening the decision period from the previous approximately 8 months to 2-3 months, with a maximum reduction of up to 6 months.

On the 10th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will promulgate and enforce a partial amendment to the 'Seoul Metropolitan Urban Planning Ordinance,' which expands the decision-making authority of autonomous districts over small-scale urban planning facilities. This ordinance amendment was promoted to rationally adjust urban planning authority between Seoul city and autonomous districts from the perspective of local decentralization and to enhance the efficiency of urban management.

According to the amended ordinance, the authority of district mayors to decide on urban planning facilities will be expanded from sites with an area of 3,000㎡ or less to less than 5,000㎡. However, in the case of public open spaces, the decision-making authority of autonomous districts will be expanded to less than 5,000㎡, but to protect the original function of public open spaces, autonomous districts must obtain prior consent from the Seoul Metropolitan Government when reducing the area or abolishing the space. Additionally, by adding the tasks related to the decision, change decision, and notification of urban planning facilities within district unit planning zones, it was clarified that changes to urban planning facilities within these zones are delegated matters to autonomous districts to prevent confusion in work processes.

This amended ordinance will be enforced from today after approval by the city council and review by the Ordinance and Rules Deliberation Committee. Nam Jun Cho, Director of the Seoul City Urban Planning Division, stated, “By expanding the decision-making authority of autonomous districts over urban planning facilities closely related to residents’ lives, we expect to respond quickly to residents’ demands and align with the purpose of local decentralization.”

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