Rebirth Plan for Naehang and Surrounding Old Downtown as a Cultural, Tourism, and Industrial Convergence City
Citizen Report Meeting at Jayu Park on the 1st... Announcement of Four Major Strategic Tasks
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The 'Jemulpo Renaissance Project,' a key pledge of Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok's 8th term and the starting point for balanced development of the old downtown area, is set to be fully launched.
This project aims to transform Incheon Inner Port (formerly Jemulpo), which led Korea's modernization, and the surrounding old downtown area into a cultural, tourism, and industrial convergence city.
On the 1st, Incheon City held the 'Jemulpo Renaissance Project Promotion Plan Public Report' at Jung-gu Freedom Park Square, announcing renaissance strategic tasks and implementation plans in four areas: old downtown, culture and tourism, industrial economy, and inner port development.
To revitalize the old downtown areas of Jung and Dong districts, the city plans to thoroughly review and swiftly promote key anchor projects around Dongincheon Station and other station areas. Additionally, through the construction of Incheon Subway Line 3 and other measures, a people-centered transportation system will be established, allowing access to any part of the old downtown within 15 minutes. To this end, the city will revise the Incheon urban railway network plan to expedite the construction of Line 3 and consider adding 2 to 3 new stations in the Dong-gu area.
In the culture and tourism sector, the city plans to discover lesser-known content in the old downtown, hold festivals and events utilizing marine waterfront spaces, and create green corridors such as forest trails, wind paths, and walking paths to develop tourist attractions. Furthermore, the city envisions using the 'Sangsang Platform,' a remodeled complex cultural facility from the old grain warehouse at Incheon Port, as an advanced base for the cultural tourism industry.
Incheon City plans to attract anchor facilities such as the Tourism MICE Plaza and Marine Aquarium to the inner port, providing cultural spaces for citizens and encouraging the influx of tourists. / Illustration of anchor facility development at Pier 2 of Incheon Inner Port [Provided by Incheon City]
The city also plans to designate an urban regeneration innovation district, create a smart city in the old downtown, and attract future advanced industries including Urban Air Mobility (UAM) to innovate the industrial ecosystem of the old downtown. Spaces for youth startups and social enterprise rental spaces will be established in various locations within the old downtown. Plans also include relocating the ship repair complex, promoting factory relocation, and creating jobs through the establishment of the Incheon Port Smart Auto Valley.
A significant part of the Jemulpo Renaissance, the redevelopment of Incheon Inner Port, will shift from government-led to city-led project management to accelerate progress. The city aims to maximize the catalytic effect of inner port redevelopment by prioritizing the completion of the Sangsang Platform in the first half of this year and the opening of Inner Port Piers 1 and 8 in the second half.
Through the Jemulpo Renaissance Master Plan service, which will begin this month, the city will develop detailed implementation plans for the four strategic tasks, actively collecting citizens' opinions to establish the master plan.
Alongside this, a basic ordinance will be enacted to establish the institutional foundation for the project. The ordinance will include the project promotion system, the Jemulpo Renaissance Committee for citizen communication, and the establishment of public-private cooperation systems.
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok emphasized, "The Jemulpo Renaissance will be the starting point to resolve the imbalance between Incheon's old downtown and new towns and revive the stagnant regional economy. We will ensure the success of this project and transform Jemulpo, which led Korea's modernization, into a future city centered on culture, tourism, and industry in the old downtown and inner port."
Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is giving a greeting at the 'Jemulpo Renaissance Public Report Meeting' held at Jayu Park Square on the 1st. [Photo by Incheon City]
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