Appointed as Honorary Chief Planner
Pittsburgh's Urban Regeneration Success Story
Anticipation for Replication in Seongnam
Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor: Shin Sangjin) announced on May 22 that it has appointed Tom Murphy, former mayor of Pittsburgh who transformed the American city into a hub for advanced industries, as the Honorary Chief Planner for the innovative development of the Ori Station Area 4th Technovalley.
The Chief Planner is a key leader responsible for the integrated advancement of the project, overseeing everything from establishing the development vision, formulating strategies, and coordinating policies, to designing public-private cooperation structures.
Tom Murphy, who served three terms as mayor of Pittsburgh from 1994 to 2005, is a world-renowned expert in urban regeneration. Pittsburgh, once known as the "Steel City," experienced rapid decline in the 1980s when the collapse of the steel industry led to an exodus of more than 500,000 residents. As mayor, Murphy led the public acquisition of approximately 6 million square meters of riverside industrial land and rebuilt the city through a large-scale regeneration project spanning a decade.
He successfully spearheaded major projects such as the largest eco-friendly sports and convention center in the United States, mixed-use complexes combining commercial, residential, and public spaces, and the creation of more than 40 kilometers of waterfront green spaces. In addition, through collaboration among universities, businesses, and public institutions, he attracted over $4.5 billion (about 6 trillion won) in investment and contributed to job creation based on the fourth industrial revolution and to strengthening the city's competitiveness.
Murphy is well known for his hands-on leadership, personally visiting sites to persuade companies to invest, and has stated that "the success of urban regeneration depends on the patience and execution of politicians, as well as public-private cooperation."
Seongnam City plans to incorporate his urban innovation experience and vision into the development of the Ori Station Area 4th Technovalley, aiming to become a future city where advanced industries and jobs coexist. Currently, Seongnam City is working with private advisory groups, including the Hyundai Motor Group consortium and HFR, to create smart future spaces, introduce AI and future mobility technologies, and establish public-private partnership business models.
A Seongnam City official stated, "Based on Tom Murphy's global urban regeneration expertise and network, we will make the Ori Station area a leading innovation cluster in Korea," adding, "We will do our utmost to realize a future city where advanced industries and quality of life are harmoniously balanced."
Meanwhile, Seongnam City is expanding citizen participation and implementing various programs to incorporate the creative ideas of future generations into policy, including the "Creative Urban Planning Competition" on the theme of developing the Ori Station Area 4th Technovalley. The competition will accept submissions from university students nationwide from June 10 to June 20.
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