Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's University Space Innovation Begins... Increasing Floor Area Ratio to Transform Medical Facilities and More

Since Seoul City announced the 'O Se-hoon-style University Space Innovation Plan' last year, many universities have begun improving their spatial structures.

New Construction of Hanyang University Medical Building

According to Seoul City on the 23rd, as the amendment to the Seoul City Urban Planning Ordinance, which relaxes floor area ratio and height regulations for universities in the city, is scheduled to be implemented in July this year, many universities are promoting improvements in spatial structures.

Earlier, to strengthen the future competitiveness of universities, the city announced a legislative notice in March for the amendment to the Seoul City Urban Planning Ordinance, which relaxes the floor area ratio when expanding innovative growth facilities and eases height restrictions for university facilities within natural scenic districts if there is no impact on the surroundings. The amended ordinance will be promulgated and enforced at the end of July.

As a result, universities that had difficulty securing space for new advanced departments such as semiconductors, related research labs, and experimental labs for technological innovation due to insufficient floor area ratio can now actively pursue ▲ spatial reallocation ▲ new construction and expansion of public buildings ▲ maintenance of aging public facilities ▲ attraction of core public facilities through support from Seoul City's urban planning.

Hanyang University and Yonsei University have established phased cyclical maintenance plans to build a convergence medical cluster, and the city completed the announcement of urban planning change approval to support this on the 11th of this month.

Hanyang University, which currently has a floor area ratio utilization rate of 99% and about 58% of its area within a natural scenic district, had difficulties improving aging medical facilities on campus, but with this regulatory relaxation, new construction of the medical building has become possible.

Yonsei University and Yonsei Medical Center have drafted a master plan that includes spatial reallocation and utilization plans to separate medical and educational clusters, and plan to consider introducing an innovative growth zone where the relaxed floor area ratio can be used in necessary areas, starting with the construction of a new medical school building.

Seoul National University, Korea University, and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies have also recently decided or completed their urban planning.

Since the implementation of new construction and expansion projects takes more than about 10 months just for internal decision-making processes, it is expected that the full-scale urban planning change procedures will begin in the second half of the year.

Jo Nam-jun, Director of the Seoul City Urban Planning Bureau, said, "We will spare no bold urban planning support so that universities preparing for the future can nurture creative talents and lead technological innovation," adding, "Through this support, we hope universities become key engines of the region and Seoul can be reborn as a future-oriented university city."

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