Mapo-gu, What Is the Secret to Building Public Facilities Without Spending Money?

Mapo-gu Builds Public Facilities Without Spending Money ... Integrated Management of Donation Facilities

On the 17th, strengthened review of appropriateness from a mid- to long-term perspective through the establishment of an integrated management plan for donation facilities

Expected budget savings of about 240 billion KRW or more by securing up to 25 donation facilities in the future

Park Kang-su, the district mayor, attending the opening ceremony of Mapo Naru Space, established through a donation in March, and touring the site.

Donation refers to a system where private developers provide public facility sites or bear installation costs in exchange for relaxed restrictions such as building coverage ratio and floor area ratio. Efficient utilization of this system can significantly reduce the budget required for constructing public facilities.

However, until now, donations have been managed separately by each project without a dedicated general department, resulting in insufficient operational plans for facilities from a mid- to long-term perspective and potential regional concentration of public facility construction.

There have also been concerns that the system does not meet its original purpose, as donations have been operated mainly by redevelopment project operators without sufficient appropriateness review, leading to facilities with poor accessibility or public nature being donated.

In response, Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) announced on the 17th that it has established an integrated management plan for donation facilities to expand essential public facilities for residents without massive budget input.

The main contents of Mapo-gu's integrated management plan for donations include ▲ designation of a general department for donation facilities for integrated management ▲ establishment of a donation facilities database (DB) ▲ user-centered donation promotion ▲ review of appropriateness of donation facility planning and operation through policy meetings.

First, the district designated the Urban Planning Division as the general department for donations to conduct systematic integrated management from a mid- to long-term perspective. To this end, donation facility information has been updated in Mapo-gu’s urban planning information service, 『One-Click Urban Information (I-System)』, enabling real-time viewing.

Also, except for roads or parks required by law, facility donations are prioritized, focusing on user-benefit-oriented living and cultural facilities such as childcare centers, welfare facilities for the disabled and elderly, youth learning spaces, and multipurpose facilities.

Furthermore, through policy meetings on donation facility agendas, appropriateness is reviewed based on public needs and resident demand. For existing donation facilities, usage status is analyzed to prepare practical and flexible facility operation plans, including changing their purposes.

An official from the district stated, “Currently, 17 development projects are underway in Mapo-gu, and up to 25 public facilities can be additionally secured through donations,” adding, “This is expected to save about 240 billion KRW or more in district budget for public facility construction for residents’ convenience.”

Mayor Park Gang-su of Mapo-gu said, “Public facilities must be built with careful prior review as a long-term plan to maximize budget efficiency and usage,” and added, “Through the integrated management plan for donation facilities, we will do our best to expand essential public facilities to residents in the right places without massive district budget input.”

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