Site selection will proceed in a rapid implementation format
Service commencement within the year, full-scale promotion in 2026
Seoul City has selected five sites for new growth hub projects in the Gangbuk area, which was previously considered a bed town, to revitalize the local economy. These include the Seongsan-ro complex development near Yonsei University and Severance Hospital, the Wangsimni three-dimensional city, Bukhansan Citizen Observatory, the area around Hwikyung Retention Basin, and Nohaero Cultural Plaza.
On the 2nd, Seoul City announced the selection of five new growth hub projects in the northwest and northeast areas. The selected regions will proceed in an expedited manner. Within the year, related service projects will begin, including feasibility analyses, development plans, and phased implementation strategies. Once the basic concept and execution plans are derived, the projects will be actively promoted starting in 2026.
The expedited projects selected this time are ▲three-dimensional complex development around Seongsan-ro (30,451㎡) ▲three-dimensional city creation to foster Wangsimni as a metropolitan center (approximately 30,000㎡) ▲construction of Bukhansan Citizen Observatory (15,635㎡) ▲creation of a waterfront cultural hub around Hwikyung Retention Basin (26,000㎡) ▲Nohaero cultural renovation (15,750㎡), totaling five projects.
The city received project proposals from 11 autonomous districts and comprehensively reflected factors such as project necessity, site acquisition feasibility, ripple effects, and the districts' willingness to proceed to select the final targets.
The three-dimensional complex development project around Seongsan-ro in Seodaemun-gu will restructure urban space by integrally developing the disconnected underground and aboveground areas. A new Western Line station and underground space will be connected to create a youth startup support space, and areas around Severance Hospital will be developed into a medical complex industry growth hub focusing on research and technology development.
Information on the three-dimensional urban project for the development of Wangsimni metropolitan center (Source: Seoul City)
The three-dimensional city creation project to foster Wangsimni as a metropolitan center, where four lines pass through, will also be promoted. First, vehicle traffic on the Seongdong underpass will be closed, and the upper Gosanja-ro lanes will be expanded to ensure smooth traffic flow. The Seongdong underpass will be reborn as a mixed-use living space for commerce and business, and institutions such as the police station and district office will be relocated to one place to create the Wangsimni Business Town.
A citizen observatory will be constructed on Bukhansan in Gangbuk-gu to establish a cultural and tourism hub in the northeast area. After the military police unit relocated in May last year, the vacant space will be transformed into an observatory, becoming a landmark. The location is ideal for an observatory within Seoul due to minimal artificial lighting and the absence of direct light entering the site.
Aerial photo of the site for the construction project of Bukhansan Citizen Observatory (Source: Seoul City)
The area around the Hwikyung Retention Basin in Dongdaemun-gu along the Jungnang Stream, which had been isolated due to the separation caused by the river and the Dongbu Expressway, will be developed into a cultural and sports park complex. In the future, the waterfront cultural hub will be expanded with the creation of a park above the underground Dongbu Expressway. The waterfront hub will be connected to nearby Baebongsan Mountain to complete a green axis.
Nohaero in Nowon-gu will be transformed into an open cultural plaza by reducing the road from seven lanes to four lanes and expanding pedestrian areas. Although the area around Nowon Station is densely packed with financial institutions and shopping districts, cultural spaces for residents are severely lacking. By reducing the road width, the plan is to develop Nohaero into a shared cultural hub that all northeast area residents can enjoy and benefit from. The project will be implemented by securing pedestrian zones within the road to flexibly respond to changes in traffic volume.
Although not selected as target sites this time, the city plans to develop mid- to long-term development strategies for four other locations with potential. These include ▲integrated development of the confluence of Jungnang and Cheonggyecheon streams ▲creation of an emotional city along the Uicheon Stream ▲integrated development around Seoul Folk Flea Market ▲creation of a cultural and artistic complex space around Hongneung. A mid- to long-term development strategy plan will be prepared through integrated service projects. Projects capable of deriving execution plans may be changed to expedited targets and promoted after expert consultation.
Projects not selected as hub projects, such as ▲activation plans for the Susaek-Jungsan redevelopment promotion district ▲creation of a youth startup hub space in Gwangjin K-Valley, will be promoted separately according to the nature of the projects, such as changes to district unit plans.
Kim Seung-won, head of Seoul City's Balanced Development Headquarters, said, "The population of Seoul's northwest and northeast areas is 4.48 million, about half of Seoul's citizens, but so far, these areas have been emphasized only as residential backyards and have been relatively neglected in economic and cultural development. We will create a new economic city in Gangbuk, centered on jobs, by promoting new growth hub projects that can lead balanced development in the northwest and northeast areas and eliminate regional disparities."
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