Passage of Special Act on Old Town Planning... Incheon Yeonsu-gu 'Wondosim Master Plan' Gains Momentum

With the passage of the Special Act on Aging Planned Cities, which will serve as a driving force for balanced urban development, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, is gaining momentum in its core campaign project of the 8th local government administration, the 'Old Downtown Regeneration New Master Plan' project.

Yeonsu-gu announced on the 14th that the so-called 1st generation new town special law, the 'Special Act on the Maintenance and Support of Aging Planned Cities,' passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 8th, and detailed reviews of the applicable contents and standards have begun in preparation for the law's enforcement in April next year.

The aging planned cities subject to the special law are residential sites of 1 million square meters or more that have passed more than 20 years since the completion of land development projects under related laws such as the 'Land Development Promotion Act,' and Yeonsu Residential Site falls under this category. In particular, Yeonsu-gu, where more than 85% of the total population lives in apartments, has 96 out of 110 complexes in the old downtown area excluding Songdo International City, consisting of about 55,000 households in apartment complexes over 20 years old.

Panoramic view of the original downtown area in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon [Photo provided by Yeonsu-gu, Incheon]

Accordingly, the district has maintained close cooperation with the government to ensure that Yeonsu-gu is included in the target of the special law on aging planned cities, including direct participation in the national policy briefing sessions last year. Lee Jae-ho, the mayor of Yeonsu-gu, has continuously requested that Yeonsu-gu be included in the 1st generation new town special law since his candidacy, proposing amendments to legislations related to aging new towns and pledging the establishment of the 'Yeonsu-gu Old Downtown New Master Plan' as part of his campaign promises.

In particular, with the launch of the 8th local government administration, the district established a Housing Maintenance Team in October last year dedicated to reconstruction, redevelopment, and remodeling, and unveiled the 'Old Downtown Regeneration New Master Plan' in June.

Following the passage of the special law, Yeonsu-gu plans to hold regional public hearings for revising the Old Downtown New Master Plan to ensure that local residents' opinions are well reflected in Incheon City's basic plan. Furthermore, following the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's indication on the 12th of the need to partially reorganize the metropolitan transportation network due to the special law's passage, it is expected to positively influence the establishment of a new stop in the old downtown area on the GTX-B line, linked with Incheon-origin KTX and Suin Line.

The mayor stated, "Given that half of the city is divided into old and new downtown areas, the development of the old downtown is a prerequisite project that raises the value of the entire city," adding, "We will take the passage of the special law to ease regulations on maintenance projects as an opportunity to elevate the overall value of Yeonsu-gu."