Seoul City Revises Unnecessary Urban Planning Regulations... Establishes Permanent Communication System

Seoul City Hall Plaza view
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

On the 8th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will establish a continuous communication system to revise unnecessary regulations within the urban planning system it has operated so far and to prepare new systems needed for changing conditions. The goal is to shift to a flexible urban planning approach that responds to rapidly changing social environments and diverse demands.

Earlier this year, through the confirmation of the 2040 Seoul Urban Master Plan, Seoul boldly removed the uniform and absolute numerical standard of a 35-story height limit and transitioned to qualitative skyline management considering local conditions. Additionally, when separate urban management plans such as redevelopment projects are established, the city has been changing the urban planning system it has operated, such as eliminating the height restriction of up to 7 stories in the Type 2 General Residential Area.

Last month, the city also established a dedicated team for urban planning system improvement (Urban Planning Innovation Team). To maintain continuous communication with the private sector that actually applies laws and systems, the city plans to operate the ‘Urban Planning Private Sector Vitality Task Force’ composed of public and private experts and set up an ‘Online Window for Regulatory Improvement Ideas.’

Furthermore, through the Seoul Urban Planning Portal website, anyone interested in urban planning will be able to freely and conveniently submit opinions via the ‘Regulatory Improvement Ideas’ online window currently being prepared. Submitted opinions will be reviewed through discussions with internal and external experts to examine inconveniences from the private sector’s perspective and to identify improvement tasks.

The city will also conduct quarterly surveys on regulatory improvement demands with related departments, autonomous districts, and academic societies (associations) in the fields of urban planning and housing to jointly review administrative and institutional improvement measures. The plan is to address problems that hinder urban development or cause inconvenience to citizens’ lives by being trapped in the institutional framework of existing urban planning amid rapidly changing conditions and a social environment pursuing diverse values.

However, the city clarified that this concept is different from the recent social issues related to maximizing development gains that cause real estate price increases or the simplistic demand for density relaxation to increase property values. Going forward, Seoul plans to diagnose necessary improvements across the entire urban planning system, including the operation of use districts, use zones such as height districts, and standards for establishing district unit plans, and to promote various measures such as revisions to laws, ordinances, and guidelines.

Jo Nam-jun, Director of the Seoul Urban Planning Bureau, said, “Communication will be more important than anything else in the dimension of boldly innovating the urban planning system, which has been applied with uniform regulations, for harmonious and orderly urban development,” and added, “We will transition to a revitalizing urban planning system to strengthen the competitiveness of the attractive city of Seoul and improve the quality of life for its citizens.”

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