O Se-hoon's Innovative Planning, 44 Sites Confirmed in 2 Years... "Accelerating Normalization of Maintenance Projects"

Seoul City's Rapid Integrated Planning (SinTong Planning), a redevelopment project under Mayor Oh Se-hoon's administration, has finalized plans for a total of 44 districts and approximately 60,000 households just over two years since the system's implementation. The city plans to accelerate redevelopment projects, which had previously been stagnant, based on the high satisfaction of participating residents.

On the 5th, Seoul City announced the achievements of SinTong Planning. SinTong Planning is a system where the city intervenes from the early stages of redevelopment and reconstruction projects led by the private sector to create redevelopment plans that appropriately combine project feasibility and public interest, supporting rapid project advancement. It is considered a core housing and architecture project of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

Since its introduction in September 2021, SinTong Planning has been underway in a total of 82 locations as of July. In the first public contest held in December 2021, 21 sites were selected, and in the second contest in December last year, 25 sites were chosen. Among the 82 locations, as of early this month, plans have been finalized for a total of 44 sites, including the 21 from the first contest, covering 62,000 households. The remaining 38 sites are in the planning and advisory stages. Since May this year, the city has switched to a system of selecting candidate sites on an ongoing basis to increase speed.

The city evaluated that forming teams consisting of residents, city officials, district authorities, and experts for each project site, ensuring sufficient communication and balance, was effective in establishing plans quickly. Furthermore, SinTong Planning has been implemented based on four principles: redevelopment of neglected areas, creation of convenient living spaces, waterfront emotional cities, and urban space innovation through urban design. This approach has enabled rapid and stable housing supply while realizing attractive urban spaces.

Through SinTong Planning, the city is focusing on redeveloping areas that have been neglected in development, such as places where urban regeneration projects have been implemented but with insufficient effects, and areas where redevelopment zones were lifted. For these areas, the city plans to intensify land use by upgrading zoning districts and applying flexible urban planning. Representative cases include the challenging areas of Changsin and Sungin-dong, Garibong 2 District, and Sillim 7 District among the first candidates.

The city also focused on creating public facilities and convenient living spaces connected to the local area. Old low-rise residential areas with disrupted vehicle traffic, steep slopes, and narrow streets, such as Gongdeok A (Mapo-gu), Cheongpa 2 District (Yongsan-gu), Sangdo 14 District, Hawolgok-dong 70-1, and Sanggye-dong 154-3, were planned as open complexes integrated with adjacent project sites to communicate with the community.

Efforts were made to create vibrant waterfront spaces by connecting streams and residential complexes. A representative example is Machon 5 District, which will develop a street park, waterfront plaza, and library in connection with the restoration of Seongnaecheon (scheduled for 2028). In Hong Eun-dong 8-400 and Ssangmun-dong 724 areas, boundaries between complexes and stream banks will be removed to create open spaces and parks.

Seoul City Rapid Integrated Planning Design Innovation Cases (Yeouido Pilot·Hanyang Apartment)
[Photo by Seoul City]

Additionally, flexible height planning and innovative designs were applied to bring diverse changes to the Han River waterfront landscape and skyline, enhancing urban competitiveness. Apgujeong Apartments will secure a wide scenic corridor and raise the maximum height to create an open complex reflecting the fan-shaped characteristics of the Han River waterfront, realizing a 'panoramic view.' Yeouido Simbeom and Hanyang Apartments plan a U-shaped skyline from the 63 Building to Yeouidaero, creating a distinctive landscape where the waterfront and downtown blend, including performance halls and water sports facilities so that all citizens can enjoy the Han River.

Seoul City revealed that over the past 1 year and 8 months, more than 1,000 communication sessions were held with residents, various stakeholders, and experts during the process of establishing SinTong Planning. In a recent satisfaction survey targeting resident participation groups, 131 out of 158 respondents (83%) said that 'SinTong Planning helps promote redevelopment projects,' showing high satisfaction. A survey of 1,000 general citizens found that only 19% had heard of SinTong Planning, but among them, 77% responded that 'SinTong Planning helps redevelopment projects,' indicating that citizens who experienced SinTong Planning generally evaluate it positively.

A city official stated, "Through SinTong Planning, we will establish a foundation for substantial improvement of residential environments in old low-rise residential areas and stable housing supply," adding, "We will continuously support the timely progress of follow-up procedures in areas where planning has been completed."

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