Additional Points Awarded for Higher 'Consent Rate' When Selecting Candidates for Rapid Integrated Planning Sites

Implementation of the Request for Proposal System... Must Meet Maintenance Zone Designation Requirements and 30% Consent Rate
Areas with Resident Consent Rate Over 50% Receive Up to 15 Bonus Points
Zones with Opposition Consent Rate Between 5% and 25% Face Expanded 15-Point Penalty
If Speculation Suspected Due to Share Splitting, On-Site Investigation Conducted; Confirmed Cases Excluded from Candidate Recommendations
Seoul City Plans to Select Additional 15,000 Households Within the Year

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to prioritize areas with strong resident support when selecting candidates for rapid integrated planning redevelopment. Additional points will be awarded to districts where the resident approval rate is over 50%, and more deductions will be applied to districts with opposition rates between 5% and 25% than before.

On the 5th, the Sungin Rapid Integrated Planning Redevelopment Candidate Site as seen from the Changsin Rapid Integrated Planning Redevelopment Candidate Site in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the 5th, Seoul announced that it will improve the 'Rapid Integrated Planning Redevelopment Candidate Selection Criteria' following the full implementation of the proposal request system, which legalizes the occasional recruitment of redevelopment candidate sites.

The proposal request system was introduced last year with the revision of the Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Act. It requires the planning authority to decide within four months whether to initiate a redevelopment plan upon residents' request. Previously, residents prepared redevelopment plans and proposed them to local governments.

Seoul's 'Rapid Integrated Planning Redevelopment Candidate Selection Criteria' focus on increasing the scoring standards so that districts with higher approval rates can be selected as candidates, and fundamentally excluding districts where speculation such as share splitting has occurred from candidate selection.

To request the initiation of rapid integrated planning, the area must meet the legal and ordinance requirements for redevelopment designation and have at least 30% of landowners wishing for district designation. Rapid integrated planning is a public support plan created by Mayor Oh Se-hoon after his inauguration, where the city and experts participate in the planning stage to provide guidelines that facilitate swift project progress.

The legal requirements for redevelopment district designation include fulfilling at least one mandatory and one optional criterion. Mandatory criteria are: 60% or more of buildings aged, and a district area of 10,000㎡ or more. Optional criteria include: ▲60% or more of total floor area aged ▲housing access rate 40% or less ▲40% or more undersized lots ▲housing density of 60 buildings per hectare or more ▲50% or more semi-basement houses. If the proportion of aged buildings is 75% or more, optional criteria do not need to be met.

With the implementation of the proposal request system, the function of preliminary review by autonomous districts regarding redevelopment feasibility and urgency is strengthened. For in-depth agenda review, the selection committee will convene every two months.

When residents initially apply for a consent form number, the autonomous district must provide pre-consultation on appropriate district conditions such as access requirements before issuing the number. In areas where other project methods such as regional housing association housing construction projects coexist, only one suitable project method will be pursued to enhance project feasibility.

After residents submit a proposal request (candidate application), the autonomous district must complete the preliminary review and recommend the site to Seoul City within one month (maximum two months). The final decision on whether to initiate the plan, reflecting the selection committee's results, must be communicated to residents within four months (maximum six months) from the proposal request date.

Points for approval rates and deductions for opposition rates will also be strengthened. During quantitative evaluation in the redevelopment candidate selection process, districts with approval rates between 50% and 75% will have their bonus points increased from a maximum of 10 to 15 points. Deductions for districts with opposition rates between 5% and 25% will be strengthened from a maximum of 5 to 15 points.

In the 'Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Basic Plan' newly established in February, the criteria for reconsideration and cancellation of initiation are linked, raising the exclusion criteria at the candidate selection stage to 25% or more, and the exclusion review criteria to 20-25%.

On the 21st, the appearance of the Changsin and Sungin areas in Jongno-gu, Seoul, which are private redevelopment candidate sites through the 'Rapid Integrated Planning' process. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

To fundamentally block the inflow of speculative forces such as share splitting and gap investment, on-site investigations will be conducted when selecting redevelopment candidates. Districts where speculation has occurred or is suspected will be completely excluded from candidate selection, and anti-speculation measures will be strengthened.

Seoul has also prepared additional measures to prevent speculation or suspected cases such as alleyway share splitting in redevelopment districts. Autonomous districts will immediately conduct on-site investigations of road share splitting and abnormal real estate transactions within the district upon receiving residents' proposal requests. If speculative cases are confirmed, the district must be excluded from candidate recommendations, and even if recommended, re-nomination will be prohibited for two years after review.

Seoul stated, "Special caution is required as damages such as fraud may occur during real estate transactions in areas expected to request initiation," and added, "Planning real estate companies involved in illegal acts such as speculation will be strictly dealt with through complaints and investigations according to relevant laws."

Since 2021, Seoul has selected 81 rapid integrated planning redevelopment candidate sites. To ensure stable housing supply and improve residential environments, it plans to select an additional 15,000 households (10 to 15 districts) within this year.

Han Byung-yong, Director of Seoul's Housing Policy Office, said, "Despite recent high interest rates and market downturns, redevelopment areas with strong resident will are progressing smoothly through 'Rapid Integrated Planning.' With the improvement of candidate selection criteria, we will prioritize 'resident opinions' above all else and provide administrative support so that redevelopment projects can be quickly promoted where needed."