Oh Se-hoon to Develop Ultra-High-Density Area in Sewoon District Following Yongsan... Promoting 'Seoul Version of White Site'

Visiting Singapore's Ultra-High-Density Mixed-Use Development 'Marina One'
Emphasizing Promotion of Seoul's Version of White Site 'Beyond Zoning'
Encouraging Flexible Development by Granting Autonomy Without Land Use Classification
Suggesting Application to Sewoon District Following Yongsan Maintenance Depot
Urging Government to Enact Special Act... Task Force Launched Last Month to Review Suitable Sites

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is inspecting the internal green space of Marina One, a residential, tourism, and international business complex development located in Marina Bay, Singapore, on the afternoon of the 30th (local time). (Photo by Seoul City Joint Press Corps)

[Singapore=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is pushing to introduce the 'Seoul-style White Site,' called 'Beyond zoning,' in the Sewoon Redevelopment Promotion District (Sewoon District) following the Yongsan Maintenance Depot.

'White Site' is one of Singapore's development methods that grants autonomy without distinguishing land use. On the 30th, Mayor Oh visited 'Marina One,' a new landmark in Singapore developed using this concept, and stated, "We will flexibly develop the deteriorated Seoul downtown into a mixed-use area," adding, "I hope this can be applied to places like Yongsan or the Sewoon District."

Flexible High-Density Development Without Land Use Distinction... Development of Marina One Applying 'White Site'

The core of Seoul City's envisioned 'downtown mixed-use development' is to encourage flexible development by allowing free designation of land use without dividing land into residential, commercial, park, etc., as is currently done. For example, a single building could simultaneously house a school without a playground and a high-rise vertical garden, and people could commute by elevator within the building.

Singapore has been operating the 'White Site' concept since 1995. Areas designated as 'White Sites' allow developers to freely determine land use within the permitted floor area ratio without separate review. This enables high-density mixed-use development tailored to conditions when redeveloping old downtown areas.

Marina One was developed applying this concept. A representative from Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), who accompanied the visit, explained, "The old downtown Central Business District (CBD) was divided by single-purpose zoning, allowing only office or commercial spaces, which caused the area to be empty outside working hours or on weekends," adding, "To bring in residential population and revitalize the area on weekends, the White Site concept was applied to the current CBD."

Following Yongsan Maintenance Depot, 'Seoul-style White Site' Also in Sewoon District

Mayor Oh plans to introduce this concept in Seoul as well. He first mentioned a similar 'Beyond zoning' concept in the '2040 Urban Basic Plan (Seoul Plan)' in March. Later, he announced plans to apply Beyond zoning for the first time in the Yongsan Maintenance Depot development, aiming for multi-purpose mixed-use development there.

Beyond zoning is a broader concept than Singapore's White Site, including not only relaxed land use regulations but also height and floor area ratio relaxations, school establishment, and recognition of special exceptions under related laws. The key is designating minimum location regulation zones to allow super high-rise buildings exceeding the statutory maximum floor area ratio of 1500%.

Seoul City plans to apply the 'Seoul-style White Site,' i.e., Beyond zoning, to create a 'live-work mixed' city in the downtown area, where land for new housing construction is absolutely scarce.

Mayor Oh identified the Sewoon District as a Beyond zoning application area following the Yongsan Maintenance Depot. He said, "Cities like Seoul now need redevelopment, but the system of developing cities by use zones such as commercial or residential areas acts as a significant regulation," adding, "We need to create a special law to enhance the efficiency of urban redevelopment and improve the system to maximize land use."

Oh Urges Enactment of Special Law for Downtown Mixed-Use Development... Related Task Force Also Formed

Seoul City explains that for the 'Seoul-style White Site' to be introduced, a 'Special Law for Downtown Mixed-Use Development' that surpasses the existing National Land Planning Act must be enacted. A Seoul City official said, "Under current law, height, building coverage ratio, and floor area ratio can be relaxed by designating minimum location regulation zones, but detailed regulations are limited due to Ministry of Land guidelines."

Moreover, to enhance the effectiveness of Beyond zoning, not only regulatory relaxations such as floor area ratio increases but also issues like special exceptions for public rental housing construction ratios, securing school sites, the Metropolitan Area Readjustment Planning Act, approval agendas such as designation of downtown advanced industrial complexes, research and development zones, tourism complexes, and comprehensive tenant measures need to be supplemented, as these have been pointed out as limitations of existing project methods. A Seoul City official said, "To satisfy both regulatory relaxation and special exception recognition, it is preferable to enact a separate law rather than amend the National Land Act."

However, the city plans to review revising detailed regulations on minimum location regulation zones in the short term, as regulatory relaxation is the most important factor for activating development in Yongsan Maintenance Depot and Sewoon District.

Seoul City formed a 'Old Downtown Mixed-Use Development Task Force (TF)' last month to ensure detailed measures can be included in the special law. The TF includes Seoul City's Housing Policy Office, Urban Planning Bureau, Balanced Development Headquarters, and Seoul Institute. The TF will comprehensively review the system, including the scope of downtown development, the necessity of enacting the special law, project methods, and public interest securing measures, and will also examine suitable candidate sites.

Mayor Oh emphasized, "Downtown mixed-use development is part of supplying housing close to workplaces," adding, "It not only reduces traffic congestion and environmental pollution caused by commuting but also lowers the astronomical budgets invested in urban railway network construction and the social costs we all bear, such as the creation of bedroom towns, making it fundamentally different from simple regional development."

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