The Urban Center Is a Development Restriction Zone? ... Ulsan, Busan, and Gyeongnam Collaborate on System Improvement

Greenbelt Improvement Working Meeting, Sharing Suggestions and Discussing Common Issues

Ulsan City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam are joining forces to improve the Greenbelt Zone system.

Ulsan City announced that on the 29th at 10 a.m., it will hold a "Greenbelt Zone System Improvement Working Meeting" in the conference room on the 7th floor of Busan City Hall.

At the meeting, Ulsan City’s Seo Nam-gyo, Director of Planning and Coordination, Busan City’s Song Kyung-joo, Director of Planning and Coordination, Gyeongsangnam-do’s Ha Jong-mok, Director of Planning and Coordination, along with relevant department heads and researchers from each city and province will attend.

They will share proposals for improving the Greenbelt Zone system from each city and province, discuss major common issues, and deliberate on system improvement measures.

Furthermore, through continuous consultations, they plan to jointly prepare improvement measures for the Greenbelt Zone system and propose them to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the first half of next year.

Since the launch of the 8th local government administration, Ulsan City has made improving the Greenbelt Zone system a key pledge, continuously advocating for system improvements at opportunities such as meetings between city and provincial governors and field visits to central government ministries.

These efforts by Ulsan City have served as an opportunity to build consensus between the government and local authorities on improving the Greenbelt Zone system.

An official from Ulsan City stated, “The Greenbelt Zone was used as an urban management tool in the 1970s when local urban planning functions were insufficient, but now securing urban green spaces is sufficiently possible through other means, and there are side effects such as distorted urban development, so a reassessment of its role is necessary,” adding, “Since the three cities and provinces have joined forces to improve the Greenbelt Zone system, we will strive to achieve good results.”

The Greenbelt Zone in Ulsan covers 25.4% (268.7㎢) of the total administrative area (1060.7㎢), surrounding Jung-gu, Nam-gu, and Dong-gu, and is located in the city center.

As a result, there is a shortage of developable land near key industries, and balanced urban growth is difficult due to challenges in expanding infrastructure such as culture, welfare, and medical facilities, as well as improving residential conditions.