4,137 Abandoned Houses Left as Eyesores in Daegu... Welfare Alliance Calls for Utilization as Parks or Parking Lots

It has been confirmed that there are over 4,100 vacant houses with no residents in Daegu.

The local civic group “Woori Welfare Citizens’ Alliance” stated in a commentary on the 6th, “The total number of vacant houses in Daegu is 4,137, which accounts for 0.5% of the total number of houses in Daegu. It has become urgent to devise improvement measures for the efficient management of these vacant houses.”

According to the survey conducted by Woori Welfare Citizens’ Alliance, among all vacant houses in Daegu, Jung-gu has 184, Dong-gu 698, Seo-gu 444, Nam-gu 384, Buk-gu 505, Suseong-gu 554, Dalseo-gu 243, Dalseong-gun 534, and Gunwi-gun, which was incorporated into Daegu, has 591.

Of these, detached houses (including multi-family houses) account for 3,350 units or 81.0%, apartment complexes (apartments, row houses, multiplex houses) account for 361 units or 8.7%, and unauthorized houses account for 426 units or 10.3%. Due to the preference for apartments, the vacancy rate for apartment complexes is much lower than for other types of housing. Vacant houses over 40 years old make up 78% of the total, amounting to 3,240 units.

By grade, there are 748 units (18.1%) in grade 1 (good), 1,686 units (40.8%) in grade 2 (average), 1,030 units (24.9%) in grade 3 (poor), and 673 units (16.3%) in grade 4 (subject to demolition). By district, the proportion of grade 4 (subject to demolition) is as follows: Jung-gu 37 units (20.1%), Dong-gu 137 units (19.6%), Seo-gu 112 units (25.2%), Nam-gu 63 units (16.4%), Buk-gu 74 units (14.7%), Suseong-gu 86 units (15.5%), Dalseo-gu 44 units (18.1%), and Dalseong-gun 120 units (22.5%). Gunwi-gun was found to have none. The total building area of vacant houses in Daegu is 23,754,685㎡, and the land area is 3,153,382㎡.

Woori Welfare Citizens’ Alliance said, “Due to aging population, population decline, and population outflow, the number of vacant houses is on the rise, and even in urban areas like Daegu, the issue of vacant houses is becoming serious. Vacant houses can lead to risks of collapse, safety hazards, public health and sanitation issues, and foul odors from garbage, which can turn housing insecurity into overall life insecurity. Rather than only discussing the limitations of vacant house maintenance projects, which are often ineffective because these vacant houses are private property, it is more important for local governments to show interest and determination to find solutions for abandoned vacant houses before they become urban blights.”

Woori Welfare Citizens’ Alliance also urged, “It is time to actively seek ways to utilize these vacant houses by leasing land free of charge from owners to create shelters, parking lots, community gardens, parks, or by converting them into shared property and developing them into welfare and cultural spaces. Through these efforts, we hope to restore vitality to urban regeneration.”