Seongnam City to Lift 'Quota Restriction' on Bundang Reconstruction... Fully Accepts Resident Demands

Mayor Shin Sangjin Promises System Reforms at Meeting with Emergency Measures Committee
Including "Absolute Evaluation" and "Ongoing Application" Systems

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Shin Sangjin) has decided to abolish the "quota restriction" and "relative evaluation" systems, which were considered the biggest obstacles to the reconstruction project in Bundang New Town, and will establish a resident-centered maintenance framework.

Sinsangjin, Mayor of Seongnam (left), receives a statement from Choi Woosik, Chairman of the Bundang Quota Removal Emergency Response Committee, on the 25th in the first conference room of City Hall. Provided by Seongnam City

On April 25, Seongnam City announced that it held a discussion meeting with the Emergency Measures Committee for the Lifting of Bundang Quota Restrictions at Seongnam City Hall and agreed to fully reflect the demands contained in the statement submitted by the residents in its administrative policies.

The Emergency Measures Committee, representing 63 complexes and 57,000 households in the Bundang area, stated at the meeting that "the current system of quota restrictions and resident proposal methods based on relative evaluation at the district designation stage is intensifying excessive competition and conflict among residents." They explained, "To ensure balanced and fair expansion of urban infrastructure, we should pursue integrated and simultaneous maintenance projects by viewing the entire city as a single ecosystem."

They added, "Although maintaining only certain districts in a partial or sequential manner may seem easier to manage in the short term, in the long term, it can lead to side effects such as project delays, undermining fairness between districts, inefficiency in infrastructure expansion, and prolonged residential instability."

The Emergency Measures Committee requested three improvements to the resident proposal system regarding the designation of special maintenance zones: lifting quota restrictions at the district designation stage, introducing an ongoing application system, adopting an absolute evaluation method to prevent excessive competition, and transparent disclosure throughout the review process. In response, the city expressed its intention to fully accept these demands and announced that it will improve the resident proposal system by reflecting the key points and begin revising relevant regulations.

Seong Sangjin, mayor of Seongnam City, is taking a commemorative photo after having a tea meeting with members of the Emergency Measures Committee for the Lift of Bundang Quota Restrictions on the 25th at the City Hall's first conference room. Provided by Seongnam City

On this day, the city also acknowledged the irrationality of the current legal system surrounding maintenance quota regulations, emphasizing that the structure in which the powers of a metropolitan city mayor under the "Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Act" are limited by the special law for the maintenance of aging planned cities is inconsistent with the legal framework and the principle of local autonomy.

Since before the enactment of the special law in May 2023, the city has continuously requested the delegation of authority to metropolitan city mayors and the guarantee of autonomy for establishing and amending basic plans. This is based on the judgment that local governments need substantial authority to promote field-oriented projects such as the improvement of metropolitan transportation networks and the creation of large-scale relocation sites. In addition, the current procedures for approval and consultation of the "annual planned maintenance quota" stipulated in Article 6 restrict the autonomy of local governments and cause administrative delays, indicating the need for a more flexible quota management system.

Seongnam City stated that since the Bundang reconstruction project goes beyond simply improving residential environments and is about restructuring the future urban landscape, it will continue to request system improvements from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gyeonggi Province, and will continue providing the necessary support so that residents can carry out the project cooperatively.

Seong Sangjin, Mayor of Seongnam, held a meeting with the "Bundang Quota Removal Emergency Response Committee" on the 25th at the City Hall's First Conference Room. Provided by Seongnam City

Representatives of the Emergency Measures Committee who attended the meeting expressed their appreciation to Seongnam City for listening to the voices of the field and said they hope that the matters discussed will be reflected in actual policy and administration.

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