Into the History of 'Apartment Districts'... 14 Areas Including Cheongdam Abolished or Changed

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] The 'Apartment Districts' introduced in the 1970s and 1980s for the construction of large-scale apartment complexes are disappearing into history. The 14 remaining apartment districts in Seoul are expected to be mostly abolished or converted into district unit plans within this year.

On the 18th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held the 1st Urban Planning Committee meeting and announced on the 19th that it had approved the revision of the 'Zoning District (Apartment District) and Basic Development Plan for Apartment Districts.' The 'Apartment District' was a zoning district introduced in the 1970s to quickly supply apartments to accommodate the rapidly increasing population of Seoul. Currently, there are 14 such districts in Seoul, covering about 11.2㎢, with 208 complexes and approximately 150,000 households.

However, the apartment district is a planar urban management technique applied in the past to create independent residential areas in the suburbs, and it has limitations in accommodating the diverse architectural demands required by modern cities. It has also been pointed out that it is not advantageous for apartment reconstruction. Residential land must be allocated only for housing without commercial facilities within the complex, and commercial land (central facility land) can only be used for non-residential purposes, making it fundamentally impossible to develop mixed-use complexes with various functions demanded by modern cities. The form and content of the apartment district urban management technique lack consistency with reconstruction maintenance plans, causing inconvenience in establishing maintenance plans.

Accordingly, Seoul plans to promote reconstruction projects and ease regulations on use and height for general lots outside reconstruction complexes by converting apartment districts into district unit plans. With the approval of this urban planning review, most apartment districts can be abolished or converted into district unit plans within this year.

However, some complexes where ongoing maintenance projects might be affected by the abolition of apartment districts will have the abolition deferred until individual maintenance plans are established under the 'Act on Maintenance and Improvement of Urban Areas and Dwelling Conditions' or until reconstruction is completed. As a result of this decision, 10 apartment districts will remain, covering about 2.5㎢ and 57 complexes. The entire districts of Wonhyo, Hwagok, Asia Athlete Village, and Cheongdam-Dogok will be abolished. The boundaries of 10 districts including Banpo, Seocho, Seobinggo, Isu, Yeouido, Apgujeong, Ichon, Jamsil, Garak, and Amsa-Myeongil will be reduced.

Yoo Chang-soo, Director of the Seoul Housing Policy Office, said, “We expect that the reconstruction projects in the 14 apartment districts in Seoul will be promoted efficiently and flexibly. Through guideline improvements and regulatory easing, we will expand housing supply and establish a sustainable and consistent urban management system for apartment-dense areas.”

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