Kim Dong-yeon's 'Wondosim Regeneration Project' Kicks Off... 80 Billion Won Invested Over 4 Years

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Gwanggyo New Office Building

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The urban regeneration project in the old downtown areas of Gyeonggi Province, which Governor Kim Dong-yeon is promoting as a key initiative, will be launched in earnest.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 18th that it will implement the 'Gyeonggi The Dream Regeneration Project,' a Gyeonggi-style urban regeneration project with an annual budget of 20 billion KRW from next year through 2026.

This project is characterized by adopting a so-called 'negative approach,' allowing everything except what is explicitly prohibited in the guidelines, thereby increasing resident satisfaction.

Gyeonggi Province plans to hold opinion-gathering sessions and briefings for city and county officials ahead of the final project announcement scheduled for the end of December.

This project departs from the existing urban regeneration projects that demand quick results and focus on 'performance-centered physical projects,' aiming instead for 'resident- and community-centered program projects' to enhance residents' experience and promote sustainable urban regeneration.

Earlier, starting with an expert discussion on urban regeneration project improvement chaired by Deputy Governor Yeom Tae-young on September 30, the province gathered diverse opinions from the provincial council, academia, research institutes, and the private sector through ▲ expert in-depth advisory meeting (November 17) ▲ joint working meeting between the province and support centers (November 28) ▲ additional expert advisory meeting (December 6).

The resulting 'Gyeonggi The Dream Regeneration Project' is a compound expression combining the 'The' from the three major administrative goals of the 8th elected provincial government (More, Fairer, Better opportunities) and 'Dream,' symbolizing giving dreams and hope to residents, created to be more familiar and approachable to the people.

The province will select project sites within an annual budget of 20 billion KRW (50% provincial funds, 50% city/county funds) and proceed with the projects through 2026.

The province expects that cities, counties, and residents will consider solutions and freely propose ideas on various topics such as population and business decline, increase in aging buildings, cultural heritage, military facility and water source protection regulations, U.S. military base relocations, population movements due to nearby area development, and rural area marginalization.

Furthermore, residents will be encouraged to form community organizations together with startup and management experts to design various testbeds (pilot projects), ensuring the autonomous economic activities of these community organizations.

Hong Ji-seon, Director of the Provincial Urban Housing Office, emphasized, "Urban regeneration cannot be sustained if the community foundation collapses," adding, "We will spare no administrative and financial support to attempt various community-centered projects through the Gyeonggi The Dream Regeneration Project to discover sustainable models."