'Reconstructed Parks' Will Also Be Recognized as Mandatory Secured Parks During Reconstruction

From now on, ‘three-dimensional parks’ built above buildings in maintenance projects within Seoul will also be recognized as parks that must be secured. This will allow for an increase in housing sites, thereby enhancing project feasibility. Additionally, food trucks and agricultural and marine product markets will be allowed to operate in urban parks. On the 16th, Seoul City announced that it will immediately implement two citizen proposals that emerged during the ‘Big Debate on Deregulation to Revitalize People’s Livelihoods’ held on the 14th.

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First, when carrying out large-scale maintenance projects of 50,000㎡ or more or involving 1,000 or more households, three-dimensional parks above buildings or structures such as cultural facilities and parking lots will also be recognized as mandatory secured parks. Current law requires securing at least 5% of the project area as a park, but until now, only natural ground parks have been recognized. Even when sufficient green parks were created in the area, additional parks were created to meet the ratio, causing a side effect of reducing housing sites. Accordingly, while the principle remains that parks are donated as land, three-dimensional parks will be allowed if public interest and sustainability are ensured, considering local conditions and project characteristics.

The city explained, “The average area of maintenance project sites under the Rapid Integrated Planning is 80,000㎡, and if more than 50% of the legally required park area in these sites is created as three-dimensional parks, about 100 additional households can be built, which is expected to improve project feasibility.”

Unlike existing rooftop greening, three-dimensional parks will be designated and announced as urban planning facility parks, and a separate surface rights system will be established so that the Seoul City or district park management departments can manage and operate them. In particular, to maintain their function as sustainable parks, minimum soil depth standards and a road contact rate standard allowing some sections to be in contact with the ground will be established. Also, they will be open to the public at all times.

With this regulatory improvement, parks can be created three-dimensionally while maintaining privately owned land, and the lower spaces can be used for various citizen convenience facilities such as parking lots and cultural facilities.

The city plans to provide guidelines considering vegetation standards and park maintenance and management systems necessary for creating three-dimensional parks, and conduct pre-consultations to promptly support three-dimensional park planning.

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Until now, commercial activities such as food trucks and direct transaction markets were completely prohibited in parks, but they will now be allowed in a limited manner. The city stated, “To increase park utilization and boost sales and market expansion for small business owners, cultural and artistic events will be partially permitted in parks.” However, operations will be conducted within the scope of maintaining public order.

The city also announced plans to expand festivals so that more citizens can enjoy cultural events and experience various markets in urban parks.

During the debate, there were 75 citizen proposals in areas such as the people’s economy, transportation, environment, safety, construction and housing, and urban planning. Including pre-submitted ideas, a total of 197 proposals are being promptly reviewed by the relevant departments.

The city said, “This year’s theme is ‘deregulation,’ and we will continuously discover and review regulations that constrain citizens’ lives. We will promptly handle cases that can be immediately abolished or implemented to revive people’s livelihoods.”

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