Chang-dong Train Depot in Nowon to Become Bio Industry Hub... 'Work-Residence-Leisure' Model Realized [Real Estate AtoZ]

Seoul Hosts S-DBC Conference, Unveils Vision for Northeastern Region
Cultural Facilities to Be Built Along Jungnangcheon Stream
Green Space Thirteen Times the Size of Seoul Plaza to Be Created

Seoul Digital Bio City (S-DBC) panorama. Photo by Seoul City

The area around Chang-dong Train Depot near Nowon Station in Seoul will be transformed into a bio belt centered on Seoul Digital Bio City (S-DBC). There will also be a mixed-use development utilizing the Jungnangcheon Stream.

On November 24, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held a conference under the theme "The Bio Industry and Seoul's Role, Chang-dong & Sanggye S-DBC," introducing a new vision for the northeastern region of Seoul.

At the event, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon stated, "S-DBC will become a strategic hub that expands Seoul's future industry axis from Hongneung to Chang-dong and Sanggye. It will realize the 'job-residence-leisure' (work, housing, leisure) urban model, where companies conduct research, talent settles, and citizens enjoy culture, while also serving as the completed 'balanced development model' that Seoul must achieve."

Previously, the city has been promoting the creation of S-DBC and Seoul Arena-a K-pop-centered complex facility-under the initiative of the "Great Renovation of Northern Seoul and the Golden Age of Northern Seoul." With the Jinjeop Train Depot in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province scheduled to open in June next year, the Chang-dong Train Depot will be relocated, and the site will be used to build a new Seoul-style industrial complex integrating jobs, culture, commerce, and leisure. The city plans to apply for designation as an R&D-focused industrial complex in January next year, designate the area in the second half of the year, and break ground in 2028.

Initially, the city aims to foster the site as a mega bio belt with S-DBC as its central axis. The strategy consists of three pillars: creating a new industrial ecosystem, establishing a mixed-use environment for work, residence, and leisure, and building an integrated green network. S-DBC will be developed as a digital bio R&D hub converged with future technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), linking it with the original technologies of Hongneung Seoul Bio Hub, upcoming development sites in northeastern Gyeonggi Province, and knowledge-based manufacturing facilities.

Additionally, the lower floors within the complex will be opened up and street-level activation uses will be introduced, creating a vibrant "Seoul-style industrial complex" operating 24 hours a day. In the center of the complex, 68,000 square meters of industrial land will be directly allocated, with plot sizes diversified from 2,000 to 10,000 square meters to accommodate companies of various sizes. Industrial land will be supplied at cost, and land for leading companies will be provided at even lower prices through agreements. Tax incentives such as acquisition and property tax reductions will also be offered.

Furthermore, a mixed-use site combining jobs, culture, and commercial facilities will be established near the Jungnangcheon Stream. Once the undergrounding of the Dongbu Expressway and the creation of a park above it are completed, the lower levels along the Jungnangcheon will house shopping, leisure, and cultural facilities. A specialized street will also be created, connecting the waterfront with a multi-level pedestrian deck to boost foot traffic.

In the area around Nowon Station, support facility land will be allocated for hotels, convention centers, and complex cultural facilities to encourage high-density mixed-use development, and open spaces such as observatories will be installed for public use.

In addition, the redevelopment of the Chang-dong Train Depot will provide an integrated green network in the Jungnangcheon area, 13 times the size of Seoul Plaza (about 170,000 square meters). A riverside park will be created in the Jungnangcheon area, with an ecological leisure park planned to the north of the complex and an urban vitality cultural park at its center.

A pedestrian-only specialized street will connect Nowon Station to Chang-dong Station, and an integrated underground space will be built from the sunken plaza at Nowon Station to the central park near Jungnangcheon.

Meanwhile, at the event, Johannes Fruehauf, CEO of BioLabs, who contributed to making Boston a world-class bio cluster, delivered a keynote speech and shared successful strategies.