2040 Incheon Urban Master Plan... 'Songdo, Guwol, Bupyeong' + Multi-Nuclear Distributed Central Area System

Incheon City Hall

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon’s 2040 Basic Urban Plan will be organized around a multi-core dispersed central area system with three downtowns: Songdo, Guwol, and Bupyeong.

Incheon City announced on the 9th that it held a briefing session on the establishment of the '2040 Incheon Basic Urban Plan' on the 7th.

The newly established 2040 Basic Urban Plan breaks away from the previous administrative-led approach, differentiating itself from earlier urban plans, and focuses on the current issues and major concerns of Incheon as perceived by its citizens.

To this end, the basic framework was based on the future vision of Incheon in 2040 proposed by eight citizen planning subcommittees from July to October 2019.

Additionally, the city explained that it secured feasibility by operating four advisory subcommittees consisting of local council members, experts, and civic groups to prepare various planning indicators including population, urban spatial structure, and living zone plans.

An Incheon city official stated, "Unlike the comprehensive spatial structure of the 2030 plan, the 2040 Incheon Basic Urban Plan’s urban spatial structure is characterized by strengthening downtown functions and reflecting a multi-core spatial structure, establishing a system centered on the three downtowns of Songdo, Guwol, and Bupyeong with a multi-core dispersed central area."

The city plans to finalize the 2040 Incheon Basic Urban Plan in August after holding a public hearing starting on the 27th, followed by briefings for districts and counties, gathering opinions from the city council, consultations with related agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and review by the city’s urban planning committee.