Nowon-gu Selected as Primary Site for Carbon Neutrality Leading City...The Only Seoul Autonomous District

First Round Selection Completed for a Total of 13 Local Governments Nationwide... Nowon-gu Only Among 25 Autonomous Districts in Seoul
Final Two Regions to Be Selected Next Month After Project Proposal Presentations and Competitions

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has been selected as a first-round candidate site for the "Carbon Neutral Leading City Contest," jointly hosted by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

This contest is part of the government's New Growth 4.0 project and aims to build a sustainable urban model that maximizes carbon neutrality implementation through cooperation among the government, local communities, and the private sector in response to the climate crisis.

The first-round candidate sites were selected from 39 basic local governments nationwide that were designated as preliminary candidates last year. After receiving proposals in July and undergoing evaluation by a review committee, a total of 13 regions were selected, with Nowon-gu being the only district from Seoul.

Panoramic View of Nowon-gu

In this contest, the district focused on the characteristic that it has the highest proportion of aging housing over 30 years old among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts, judging that promoting carbon neutrality in the building sector is essential. It adopted the slogan "Rebuild: First Carbon Neutral New Town Nowon."

Specifically, based on solid infrastructure such as the establishment of a "real-time data platform" and "green infrastructure," it proposed an effective greenhouse gas reduction strategy that all residents can participate in through leading and sustainable policies such as the "total greenhouse gas cap for buildings" and the "early promotion of ZEB (Zero Energy Building) for new buildings."

The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plan to select the final candidate sites (two) through a competition at the end of October among the cities selected in the first round. Once selected, national funding will be provided starting in 2025.

The district plans to present specialized projects as an advanced urban carbon neutrality model that can be expanded to other local governments at the second competition scheduled for October, thoroughly preparing to ensure Nowon-gu is finally selected as a carbon neutral leading city.

Meanwhile, the district views effective control of energy use and carbon emissions from buildings in urban areas as a key issue in carbon neutrality policy. Last year, it established the "Public Building Zero Energy Building Roadmap" and is applying it step-by-step. All public buildings newly constructed or renovated by the district will maximize energy efficiency using passive construction methods, aiming to promote the mandatory implementation of Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB) earlier than the government roadmap.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, "We feel the heavy responsibility of local governments in facing the climate crisis and have made various efforts such as promoting solar energy. We will do our best to ensure that Nowon-gu is selected as the first autonomous district to become a first-generation carbon neutral new town."

Energy Zero City Nowon