Seoul opposes transfer of regeneration authority for small sites to district offices, citing concerns over haphazard development

Seoul's city government has strongly opposed the central government and ruling party's plan to transfer urban regeneration authority for areas with fewer than 500 units to district offices. The city argues the move would undermine urban planning consistency and fail to accelerate development, calling it a slogan that misunderstands the reality of Seoul's regeneration projects.

Seoul officials stated in a release that because the entire city functions as a single living area, individual regeneration projects must be considered within the framework of broader urban planning. They emphasized the need for comprehensive reviews of infrastructure like water, sewage, roads, and parks, in addition to zoning and height regulations. Transferring authority to district offices could lead to varying standards across districts, potentially sparking controversies over favoritism, speculation, and fairness issues, especially for adjacent regeneration zones.

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The argument for transferring regeneration authority for areas under 500 units is merely a slogan that misunderstands the reality of Seoul's regeneration sites and lacks practical effectiveness.

The city also expressed concern that the 500-unit threshold could encourage the fragmentation of development sites. If projects are divided to meet the criteria, securing essential community facilities such as daycare centers, senior centers, and libraries might become difficult. Seoul fears that prioritizing individual 조합 (associations') profitability or local opinions over integrated urban planning could result in overdevelopment and project delays.

Furthermore, Seoul highlighted a perceived lack of experience in urban planning reviews at the district level. Kim Dong-gu, acting head of Seoul's architectural planning division, voiced concerns that district officials may lack the experience in urban planning reviews and integrated reviews across nine fields, which could significantly slow down projects. Seoul identifies issues like loan regulations for relocation and restrictions on transferring membership status as the primary factors delaying projects. The city plans to communicate these legislative drawbacks to the government to prevent the proposed changes.

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There are almost no employees in the district offices who have experience in urban planning reviews or integrated reviews across nine fields for regeneration projects. I am concerned that this could become a serious problem that slows down the project speed.