[Interview] Yuseonghun, Geumcheon District Mayor: "Creating a Happy City to Live in by Renovating Residential Environments and Expanding Innovative Living Spaces"

Moatown and Rapid Integrated Planning Drive Urban Change and Development through Low-Rise Residential Area Development
GTX-D Line Includes Gasan Digital Complex Station, Shinansan Line Opening and Station Area Development
Air Force Base Site Designated as Ministry of Land Spatial Innovation Zone Leading Project, Enhancing Urban Competitiveness through Mixed Residential, Industrial, and Office Facility Development

"We will create Geumcheon, a happy city where residents want to live, through redevelopment projects and urban infrastructure development tailored to the local characteristics."

Yoo Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon District, stated in a recent interview, "In Geumcheon-gu, we are pursuing urban change and development through Moa Town, Rapid Integrated Planning, and Public Redevelopment, aiming for sustainable urban development and the happy lives of residents."

The current urban form of Geumcheon-gu was formed through the establishment of national industrial complexes and the Siheung District land readjustment project carried out in the 1970s and 1980s, and after more than 30 years, the low-rise residential areas have aged. West of Siheung-daero, high-rise large apartment complexes have been built, and large-scale development projects are underway. East of Siheung-daero is a low-rise residential area densely packed with old houses, with poor road conditions and insufficient parking spaces, requiring residential environment improvement. Mayor Yoo said, "In August 2022, we established the Housing Maintenance Division to unify the housing redevelopment project tasks previously handled by the Urban Planning Division and Housing Division." He also added, "We publish a quarterly 'Housing Maintenance Newsletter' introducing the requirements and methods for applying for maintenance projects, the current status of projects underway in the district, and future plans."

Geumcheon-gu has actively participated in government and Seoul city maintenance project competitions. These efforts led to the selection of one site in the first round of the 2021 Rapid Integrated Planning redevelopment competition and three sites in the first round of the Moa Town competition as project targets. In 2022, one site was selected for Public Redevelopment, one for Rapid Integrated Planning, and two for Moa Town, and in January this year, two sites were selected for Rapid Integrated Planning. Various housing maintenance projects are actively underway throughout Geumcheon-gu. On February 1, the Moa Housing project implementation plan for the Siheung 3-dong area (Cheonggiwa Family Mansion) passed the Seoul city integrated review. It is expected to become a leading model of Moa Housing as a design-specialized complex featuring landscape, views, low-rise openness, and facade specialization.

Along with this, since the 7th local government term, Geumcheon-gu has laid the foundation for improving public transportation systems and railway infrastructure, including the groundbreaking of the Sinan Line, undergrounding of the Western Arterial Road, and expansion of Cherry Blossom Road.

On January 25, the government announced the metropolitan area express railway (GTX) plan, including Geumcheon-gu's 'Gasan Digital Complex Station' on the 'GTX-D' line. Mayor Yoo said, "Including Gasan Digital Complex Station on the 'GTX-D' line will provide express railway service to the G-Valley national industrial complex, alleviating traffic congestion and greatly improving Geumcheon-gu's metropolitan transportation network." He added, "We plan to actively consult with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to ensure this decision is reflected in the 5th National Railway Network Construction Plan and proceeds without delay."

The district is also focusing on the construction of the double-track Sinan Line. Currently, the construction progress rate is 33%, and the project is proceeding smoothly with an opening scheduled for the first half of 2025. Mayor Yoo said, "Once the Sinan Line opens, it will pass underground through Siheung-daero in Geumcheon-gu, directly connecting Gyeonggi's Ansan and Siheung with Seoul's Yeouido. This is expected to significantly resolve transportation issues not only in Geumcheon-gu but also in downtown Seoul and the southwestern metropolitan area."

The Air Force base site in Doksan-dong has been submitted as a candidate for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 'Spatial Innovation Zone Leading Project.' The Air Force base, approximately 125,000㎡ in size, has been located in the heart of Geumcheon-gu since the 1940s, long disrupting the living area of Doksan-dong and hindering regional development. After active efforts including working-level meetings and persuasion with related agencies such as the Ministry of Land and Seoul city, it was selected as the final candidate site by Seoul city and is currently awaiting final selection by the Ministry of Land. The district is actively conducting preliminary consultations with the Ministry.

If selected as a 'Spatial Innovation Zone Leading Project' site, free development without use and density restrictions and rapid, flexible project promotion will be possible. Mayor Yoo said, "The Air Force base site will be developed into an IT convergence economic hub and a compact city with close proximity between residence and workplace in the southwestern area." He added, "Through the selection as a Spatial Innovation Zone, we will strengthen Geumcheon's urban competitiveness by creating necessary facilities such as 4th industrial revolution support facilities, cultural facilities, parks, and residential facilities needed for the expansion and growth of G-Valley."

Also, to address one of the residents' frequent inconveniences, parking space expansion, a public parking lot with 102 parking spaces will be constructed underground at the Doksan 2-dong village park in April. Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon said, "This year, various living infrastructures in areas such as jobs, culture, and education will be established, including 'Geumcheon Youth Dream Center,' a residence space for youth startup organizations; 'Geumcheon Lifelong Learning Center,' which will function as a control tower for lifelong education; and 'Career and Academic Support Center,' which strengthens the public education support system." He concluded, "We will create 'Geumcheon, a happy city where people want to live,' making future changes even more anticipated."