Gyeonggi-do Model Vacant House Renovation Pilot Project No. 1 Opens as Child Care Center in Dongducheon

Transforming abandoned vacant houses, once a nuisance in the city center, into a Child Care Center
Providing vacant houses that increased local residents' anxiety as community revitalization facilities
The nation's first model where the province directly demolishes vacant houses and constructs facilities needed by the community

Gyeonggi Province opened the first model of Gyeonggi-style vacant house utilization, the Dongducheon City Childcare Center, on the 2nd.

The first model of Gyeonggi-do style vacant house utilization, Dongducheon City Child Care Center. Provided by Gyeonggi-do

At the opening ceremony held in Saengyeon-dong, Dongducheon City, about 100 officials including Park Hyung-deok, Mayor of Dongducheon, Baek Hyun-jong, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council Urban Environment Committee, Yoo Jong-sang, member of the Urban Environment Committee, Lee In-gyu, provincial council member, Lim Sang-o, provincial council member, and Kim Tae-su, Director of Urban Regeneration Division of Gyeonggi Province, attended to celebrate the successful opening of the Childcare Center.

This Gyeonggi-style vacant house maintenance pilot project involves purchasing two vacant houses in Saengyeon-dong, Dongducheon City through the investment method of Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) to rebuild them as an integrated Childcare Center. Construction began in August last year.

Dongducheon City’s local economy rapidly deteriorated in the early 2000s due to a significant reduction of U.S. military forces stationed there. Over 40% of related self-employed businesses closed, and large-scale development in neighboring areas accelerated the decline of the old downtown area of Saengyeon-dong. Therefore, revitalizing the local economy and attracting population are urgently needed.

The newly opened Childcare Center won the grand prize at the first Vacant House Utilization Idea Contest hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2021. It is a building with one basement floor and three above-ground floors, on a site area of 598㎡ and a total floor area of 872㎡. It houses the Dahamkke Childcare Center office, community room, book cafe, and creative space, providing after-school care for children aged 6 to 12. The center plans to support local economic revitalization by establishing a community-centered care system and addressing the blind spots in elementary school childcare.

In particular, following Governor Kim Dong-yeon’s policy emphasizing the development of northern Gyeonggi, including large-scale development projects, Gyeonggi Province plans to continue projects like this Gyeonggi-style vacant house utilization to solve problems faced by northern Gyeonggi such as old downtown decline and low birth rates.

Kim Tae-su, Director of the Urban Regeneration Division of Gyeonggi Province, said, “Northern Gyeonggi areas including Dongducheon City face problems such as old downtown decline and increasing urban vacant houses due to population decline. Transforming vacant houses, which symbolize old downtown decline, into local revitalization facilities through creative ideas can secure public interest and promote regional revitalization.”

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province was selected in July for the vacant house maintenance subsidy project announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, securing 30 million KRW in national funds for vacant house maintenance in Dongducheon City. Since 2021, Gyeonggi Province’s direct vacant house maintenance support project has supported maintenance of a total of 262 vacant houses over the past three years, including 30 this year, and plans to renovate 100 vacant houses into community rest areas, public parking lots, and other spaces for local residents over the next three years until 2026.

The province has requested the government to grant the ‘Second Home’ (considered as one house) benefit to vacant houses in Dongducheon City and Pocheon City, designated as population decline interest areas by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as well as in Gapyeong County, a population decline area, to resolve vacant house issues and increase population. Within Gyeonggi Province, Gapyeong County and Yeoncheon County are population decline areas, but currently only Yeoncheon County, as a border area, receives the ‘Second Home’ special case benefit.

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