Shin Sang-jin, Mayor of Seongnam City, recently expressed his welcome at the passage of the “Special Act on the Maintenance and Support of Aging Planned Cities” in the National Assembly and made five recommendations to the central government.
On the 18th, Mayor Shin expressed his expectations in a statement titled “Welcome and Recommendations on the Special Act on the Maintenance and Support of Aging Planned Cities,” saying, "A path has opened to redevelop the aging Bundang New Town."
He continued, "Seongnam City is putting all its resources and capabilities into the redevelopment of Bundang New Town to make it a national and international exemplary case of urban recreation," adding, "Nevertheless, the redevelopment of aging planned cities like Bundang has limitations when relying solely on the authority of the Seongnam mayor."
In particular, he stated, "The maintenance of aging planned cities cannot be achieved by the power of basic local governments alone; it requires pan-governmental cooperation and collaboration with neighboring basic and metropolitan local governments, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Education, and others," and recommended, "Tasks such as sewage treatment facilities, expansion of metropolitan transportation networks, school relocation, relaxation of height restrictions, and supply of relocation complexes should be undertaken by the state, that is, the central government."
Furthermore, he requested, "Since 73% of Seongnam’s total area is designated as green space including development-restricted zones, there are limitations to supplying an adequate amount of relocation complexes as stipulated in the special law solely under the mayor’s authority. Please actively work to lift development restrictions on areas with low conservation value and enable the supply of relocation complexes."
He also pointed out, "Seongnam City is currently experiencing severe traffic congestion caused by through traffic from Gwangju and Yongin cities, and if the residential population increases due to the redevelopment of Bundang New Town, traffic congestion will worsen," emphasizing, "A national-level metropolitan transportation network supply is necessary."
Moreover, he urged, "Due to height restrictions in the flight safety zone of Seoul Airport, Bundang New Town cannot fully utilize floor area ratio even if it is relaxed. Please establish reasonable height restriction relaxation standards that consider national security and are acceptable to local residents."
Mayor Shin also requested cooperation from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Education for the expansion of sewage treatment facilities and the relocation of educational facilities to create a better educational environment.
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