959,160 Square Meters from Gangnam Station Intersection to Posco Intersection
Performance Improvements Driven by Incentives
On March 3, Gangnam District Office (headed by Mayor Cho Sungmyung) announced that on February 27, it designated the Teheran-ro district unit planning zone (from Gangnam Station Intersection to Posco Intersection, 959,160 square meters) as the "Teheran-ro Remodeling Promotion Area." This is the first time a remodeling promotion area has been introduced in a central business district.
Teheran-ro is the core axis of Gangnam, concentrating work and exchange functions. However, more than 30 years have passed since its development in the 1990s, leading to the accumulation of aging buildings. This has resulted in decreased user convenience and an increased demand for improvements such as seismic structural reinforcement and energy performance enhancements, including insulation and window upgrades. In response, Gangnam District proposed the area designation to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, suggesting remodeling as a practical alternative to demolition. This led to the current designation, following the announcement procedure for the district unit planning change, which is scheduled for 2025.
For buildings that have been approved for use for 15 years or more, the district will relax building standards-including floor area ratio, building coverage ratio, height, and landscaping-after review by the Building Committee. Expansion of up to 30% of the total floor area will be permitted. Whether and to what extent these relaxations are allowed will be determined based on the implementation level of incentive items and a corresponding scoring system.
Incentive items include: ▲design improvement ▲greening of buildings ▲structural safety and seismic performance evaluation and reinforcement ▲improvement of insulation and energy performance ▲improvement of open spaces and creation of indoor public spaces ▲designation of ground-floor uses to activate street frontage ▲creation of public open spaces on the ground floor by relocating the lobby ▲improving parking through opening of parking lots, shared parking, and electric vehicle charging ▲establishment of smart industry facilities ▲application of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) ▲enhancement of fire safety and flood preparedness ▲improvement of pedestrian environments, among others.
Creating a "Walkable Teheran-ro" is also a core component of this area designation. Teheran-ro has previously been criticized for a lack of street vitality because amenities were concentrated inside buildings. The district plans to encourage the use of the ground floor for street-facing purposes such as cafes and retail, and to design roadside facades as open structures to enhance visual openness. Furthermore, relocating the main lobby to upper floors to transform the ground floor into public open spaces-such as book cafes or community areas-has also been presented as an incentive item.
Strengthening the startup valley function will occur in parallel. The plan is to encourage remodeled work facilities to include support spaces such as product manufacturing and demonstration zones and studios needed by startup companies, thereby reducing vacancy rates and reinforcing Teheran-ro's smart industry ecosystem.
Mayor Cho Sungmyung of Gangnam District stated, "The designation of the Teheran-ro Remodeling Promotion Area will serve as a significant milestone for the 100-year development of 'Global Gangnam.' We will transform the street into a more open space, expand the foundation for smart industry, and further strengthen Teheran-ro's growth engine." He added, "In the future, we plan to extend the remodeling promotion project to the Samseong-dong International Exchange Complex District."
Proposals for Improving Pedestrian Environment on Arterial Roads after Remodeling. Provided by Gangnam District.
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