The 1st Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport-Local Governments Urban Policy Council Meeting Held
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 22nd that it will hold the "1st Urban Policy Council," attended by director-level officials responsible for urban policies from 17 metropolitan cities and provinces.
At this first council meeting of the year, the Ministry plans to explain the amendment bill to the "Framework Act on National Land Planning and Utilization," which was proposed in the National Assembly in connection with the urban planning innovation measures announced by the Ministry on January 6, as well as the promotion plan for the spatial innovation zone pilot projects.
The Ministry had previously stated in the urban planning innovation measures that it will introduce three types of spatial innovation zones aimed at △ creative and innovative urban development, △ creation of converged and complex urban spaces, and △ three-dimensional and complex utilization of urban planning facilities. To this end, the Ministry is pushing for amendments to the National Land Planning Act, and once the law is amended, it plans to promote spatial innovation pilot projects in cooperation with local governments.
At this council meeting, the Ministry plans to present various utilization cases for promoting spatial innovation pilot projects and request local governments to propose diverse candidate sites for pilot projects.
The selection criteria for spatial innovation pilot project sites will prioritize △ project areas with innovation potential that can transform the functions of aging and declining areas or efficiently utilize limited urban spaces, △ areas where project implementation is easy such as national and public lands, and △ areas where spatial innovation effects can be realized over a wide region.
In particular, rather than simply developing the idle land with high-density and complex development, the Ministry plans to select sites by evaluating proposals that present spatial concepts or master plans through spatial innovation zone development and comprehensive spatial restructuring plans that transform the urban planning of the area.
Considering that the spatial innovation pilot projects will be implemented before the law is amended and require prompt execution, they will be carried out as public-led pilot projects in cooperation among the Ministry, local governments, and public implementers such as the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). When local governments propose candidate sites, the Ministry will evaluate project feasibility together with LH and others, and directly establish plans for the selected areas.
The Ministry plans to closely coordinate with the National Assembly to review the amendment to the National Land Planning Act within the first half of the year, and from the second half, proceed with the selection of pilot project sites and planning procedures, aiming to complete zone designation as early as the second half of next year.
Gil Byeong-woo, Director of Urban Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "It is important to swiftly implement the urban planning innovation measures to create flexible and innovative urban spaces," adding, "To this end, we plan to closely cooperate with the National Assembly and local governments regarding the amendment of the National Land Planning Act and the promotion of spatial innovation pilot projects."
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