Seoul City Revises Ordinance to Address Urban Issues of Low Birth Rate and Aging Population, Laying Foundation for Regulatory Reform

Amendment to the Urban Planning Ordinance Takes Effect on May 19
Proactive Response to Urban Challenges: Easing Non-Residential Use Ratio in Commercial Areas and More

A view of multi-family houses and apartment complexes in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on May 19 that it has revised its urban planning ordinance to revitalize the sluggish construction sector and respond to changing urban conditions such as low birth rates and an aging population.

This revision of the urban planning ordinance was carried out to provide institutional support for key regulatory reform initiatives. The main points include: easing the non-residential use ratio in commercial and quasi-residential areas; temporarily relaxing the floor area ratio for small-scale buildings in Type 2 and Type 3 general residential zones; and expanding the scope of public contribution facilities. The city officially promulgated the revised ordinance on this day and will begin full implementation.

The first regulatory reform measure, which eases the non-residential use ratio in commercial and quasi-residential areas, was expedited due to its urgency. Through this first regulatory reform ordinance, the mandatory proportion of non-residential facilities in mixed-use residential buildings within commercial and quasi-residential areas has been relaxed. With this revision, the non-residential use ratio in "commercial areas" can now be reduced from 20% to 10%.

The thirty-third regulatory reform measure, which temporarily relaxes the floor area ratio for small-scale buildings in Type 2 and Type 3 general residential zones, allows for a three-year temporary relaxation of the floor area ratio for small-scale buildings in these zones, which are more heavily affected by adverse construction market conditions than large-scale redevelopment or reconstruction projects. This applies to small-scale reconstruction, redevelopment, and voluntary housing maintenance projects.

In addition, the 130th regulatory reform measure expands the scope of public contribution facilities to respond to social changes such as low birth rates and an aging population. By adding the broadly defined "public support facilities" to the types of public contribution facilities, the 130th regulatory reform aims to enhance the effectiveness of the public contribution system while flexibly responding to evolving social conditions. The city expects that public contribution facilities will increasingly serve as a broad range of living infrastructure in the future.

The thirty-third regulatory reform measure, which temporarily relaxes the floor area ratio for small-scale buildings in Type 2 and Type 3 general residential zones, allows for a three-year temporary relaxation of the floor area ratio for small-scale buildings in these zones, which are more heavily affected by adverse construction market conditions than large-scale redevelopment or reconstruction projects. This applies to small-scale reconstruction, redevelopment, and voluntary housing maintenance projects.

Cho Namjun, Director of the Urban Space Headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "We expect that this ordinance revision will provide practical solutions to pressing urban issues such as the residential environment of small-scale buildings and the problem of vacant commercial spaces. We will actively develop and implement urban planning policies that can flexibly respond to changing times, strengthen the city's competitiveness, and do our utmost to improve the quality of life for citizens."