40-Year-Old Aging Residential Area 'Mia 4-1 District' Completed New Planning...Reborn as 1,000 Households

High Altitude and Steep Slopes Cause 13 Years of Redevelopment Delay
Rapid Progress in Maintenance Projects Following Approval of New Planning Proposal
Up to 22 Floors, Large Complex with 1,000 Households... Twice the Size Compared to Existing

Location map of Mia 4-1 District, Gangbuk-gu. (Provided by Seoul City)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The aging residential area in Gangbuk-gu, 'Mia 4-1 District,' which has been around for more than 40 years, will be reborn as a large apartment complex with up to 22 floors and about 1,000 households. This area, where redevelopment projects had been stalled for 13 years due to its high elevation and steep terrain, has gained momentum within a year after joining the Rapid Integrated Planning at the end of last year.

On the 10th, Seoul City announced that it had finalized the Rapid Integrated Planning proposal for Mia 4-1 District. Rapid Integrated Planning is a system where Seoul City participates from the early stages of redevelopment and reconstruction projects led by the private sector to prepare redevelopment plans that combine business feasibility and public interest, and to support the projects promptly. The finalized plan serves as the standard for establishing redevelopment plans, and once residents submit redevelopment plan proposals based on this, the plans will be reviewed and finalized.

Mia 4-1 District was designated as a housing reconstruction redevelopment zone in 2009 but had been stalled for 13 years due to resident conflicts. Although 72.8% of the buildings were over 40 years old, the steep terrain and high elevation reaching up to 85 meters above sea level reduced the project's feasibility. However, after being selected as a Rapid Integrated Planning target site at the end of last year, the project began to accelerate. Seoul City, along with the local district office, residents, and experts, held 20 discussions and plan adjustments, finalizing the Rapid Integrated Planning proposal within 10 months.

According to the finalized plan, the district will be redeveloped into apartments with up to 22 floors. The total number of households is planned to increase from 540 to around 1,000, a 1.85-fold increase.

Various plans were also designed to make this a leading model for redevelopment projects in urban 'hilly terrain' areas with steep slopes and high elevation. First, the height of the retaining wall along Wolgyero, which impaired the urban landscape and disconnected the site from surrounding areas, will be reduced from 13 meters to 8 meters, and more than half of the existing retaining wall area will be demolished. Including the retaining wall area in the redevelopment zone resulted in an increase of 2,115 square meters in the site area.

Additionally, the area around the soon-to-open Dongbuk Line light rail station will have its zoning upgraded to allow buildings up to 22 floors, compared to the previous average of 13 floors or less. Originally, this area was subject to a height restriction of 7 floors under the Type 2 General Residential Area zoning, but by utilizing the temporary relaxation of the station area radius to 350 meters until 2024, the zoning within this range has been upgraded to Type 2 General Residential Area. While the height limit has been raised, the city plans to include neighborhood living facilities, social welfare facilities, and public housing near the station area.

Various living spaces utilizing the sloped terrain were also planned. To prevent excessive retaining walls within the complex, the site will be developed in a stepped deck form, allowing direct access from surrounding walkways into the complex. Furthermore, community spaces will be created along the Wolgyero slope to connect the complex with the surrounding area. Elevators will be installed on steep pedestrian sections to facilitate easy movement for those with mobility challenges, and the Wolgyero street park will be designed to allow not only residents but also local citizens easy access from the subway station to Buk Seoul Dream Forest Park.

Moreover, to harmonize the new complex with Buk Seoul Dream Forest and adjacent apartment complexes, planning guidelines have been established to form a 'tent-shaped skyline' within the maximum height of 22 floors.

The Mia 4-1 District is expected to start public viewing of the redevelopment plan in mid-month and complete the redevelopment plan decision as early as the first quarter of next year. Since the Urban Planning Committee's delegated subcommittee and the project implementation plan will be reviewed together, the project period is expected to be significantly shortened.

Jo Namjun, Director of the Seoul City Urban Planning Bureau, said, "Mia 4-1 District is a place where the long-awaited redevelopment project for aging residential areas is resuming and progressing in earnest through Rapid Integrated Planning, so resident satisfaction and expectations are higher than anywhere else. We will proceed without delay to transform it into a station-area and forest-area residential complex where residents can enjoy urban resources such as the new light rail station and natural environments like Buk Seoul Dream Forest simultaneously."

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