Seoul Accelerates Improvement Projects in Aging Areas of Guro and Jongno... "Strengthening Urban Competitiveness" [Real Estate AtoZ]

17th Architecture Committee Approves Three Agenda Items
"Expected to Bring Tangible Changes for Citizens"

Guro-gu Human Town 2.0 Pilot Project Plan. Seoul City

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will begin full-scale efforts to improve residential environments and expand infrastructure in aging areas such as Guro-dong in Guro-gu and Songhyeon-dong in Jongno-gu.

On December 10, the city announced that its 17th Architecture Committee had approved all three agenda items: the Guro-gu Human Town 2.0 Pilot Project, the Songhyeon Cultural Park and Parking Lot Development Project, and the Gaebong Station Area Revitalization Project.

With this decision, the city will proceed with establishing a maintenance foundation for low-rise residential areas in Guro-dong, creating an urban green cultural space in Songhyeon-dong, supplying 299 public rental housing units for young people in the Gaebong Station area of Guro-gu, and expanding essential social infrastructure (SOC).

The area around 84 Guro-dong is a mix of low-rise residences and neighborhood facilities and is highly deteriorated. It was selected as the pilot site for the Human Town 2.0 project in December 2023 and was partially designated as a managed residential environment improvement district for Salgu Village in October last year. Human Town 2.0 is a project that supports individual construction such as new builds and remodeling in low-rise residential areas where redevelopment is difficult, offering relaxed building standards and financial support.

In this review, both the Special Construction Zone and Remodeling Activation Zone were designated simultaneously, allowing residents to choose between new construction and remodeling based on lot size and building conditions. In the Special Construction Zone, the floor area ratio can be relaxed up to 1.2 times the standard set by ordinance, and the building coverage ratio for first-floor commercial spaces can be increased from 60% to 70%. The required setback within the lot is reduced from 1 meter to 0.5 meters, enabling construction even on narrow plots. In the Remodeling Activation Zone, extensions of up to 30% of the existing total floor area are permitted, and the building coverage ratio is also relaxed to up to 30% below the ordinance standard. Landscaping requirements are recognized even if only half of the legal standard is met.

In this area, all three major building exceptions-Special Construction Zone, Building Agreements, and Remodeling Activation Zone-will be applied, establishing a tailored maintenance foundation for low-rise residential neighborhoods. The city expects these measures will lead to tangible improvements in residents' living environments.

Aerial view of Songhyeon Cultural Park and Parking Lot Development Project. Seoul City

The area around 48-9 Songhyeon-dong, Jongno-gu, where the Open Songhyeon Green Plaza is temporarily open to the public, will be reborn as a landmark urban cultural park that combines history, culture, and green space.

With this decision, a cultural park and an underground parking lot to alleviate the shortage of parking in the city center will be built. The facility will accommodate 270 passenger vehicles and 90 tourist buses, with the first basement level serving as a parking lot for visitors and local residents, and the second and third basement levels designated for tourist buses.

Additionally, the city plans to create a citizen cultural space in the heart of the city by including green areas, plazas, roads, a ground fountain, rest areas, and a community center in Songhyeon Cultural Park. Since the park will be built on an artificial ground above the underground parking lot, open spaces and covering structures will be used to ensure harmony between the buildings and the park, allowing natural light into the underground levels. Songhyeon Cultural Park is expected to become a key urban cultural and tourism hub that combines history, culture, and green space, in connection with the Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall (tentative name) in the future.

Perspective view of Gaebong Station area revitalization project. Seoul City

In addition, the city will supply 299 public rental housing units, each with a dedicated area of 29 square meters, in a building with five basement levels and 22 above-ground floors at 170-33 Gaebong-dong, Guro-gu. A public postpartum care center and neighborhood facilities will also be constructed.

The existing Gaebong Station area revitalization project has shifted its focus from private sales to supplying 299 public rental housing units for young people and newlyweds.

The public postpartum care center and neighborhood facilities are expected to supplement the insufficient social infrastructure functions within the station area and improve daily convenience and accessibility for local residents. This area will be developed as a regional vitality hub connecting Gaebong Station and Gyeongin-ro, focusing on youth housing stability and facilities supporting measures to address the low birth rate.

Choi Jinseok, Director of Housing at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "With the full-scale implementation of low-rise residential area maintenance, creation of urban cultural spaces, and supply of public rental housing for young people in Guro, Songhyeon, and Gaebong, we expect to bring about changes that citizens can truly feel. We will continue to support area-specific maintenance and development to strengthen urban competitiveness and improve living environments."