| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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Breaking away from the previous government-led, large-scale top-down development approach that focuses primarily on the improvement of the physical housing environment, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) developed its own comprehensive and sustainable community regeneration initiative. Through a local resident-led bottom-up approach, it protects the socially vulnerable, preserves and utilizes historical and cultural assets, and focuses on the economic, social, cultural, and safety aspects of the neighborhood.
In the initial stage of its regeneration initiatives, the SMG encouraged local residents to participate by identifying worthy projects for their communities. Under the principle that the creation of a sustainable community must be founded on the strengthening of residents’ capacities, the SMG provided education and training for residents and selected those who have completed the courses with outstanding grades as “urban regeneration activists” (147 people). It then dispatched the activists to eight support centers to take part in regeneration projects.
Since conflict could be intensified with direct government interference in conflict-ridden development areas, the SMG selects experts in negotiation as “conflict mediation coordinators” (113 people) and dispatches them to conflict-ridden areas. They contributed to the resolution of conflicts by helping both sides reach an agreement or propose alternatives.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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The Seoul Metropolitan Government founded the Urban Regeneration Headquarters on January 1, 2015, to take charge of its urban regeneration initiative. The headquarters became the integrated center for the initiative, which had been previously carried out by different bureaus and departments. The headquarters has successfully carried out urban regeneration initiatives in Seoul, a megacity with a population of 10 million.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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For the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s (SMG’s) urban regeneration initiative, a systematic 10-year plan titled “2025 Urban Regeneration Strategy” was created in the course of a year (from March 2015 to December 2015). In addition, a mid- to short-term plan titled “Urban Regeneration revitalization Plan” was established for 13 areas in Seoul as part of the master plan for the sustainable urban regeneration initiative.
In the implementation stage, over 50 civilian experts selected as “conflict mediation coordinators” were first sent to conflict-ridden development areas. They monitored the areas over 500 times throughout the year to provide customized solutions and decisions on progress. Moreover, alternative projects were sought with a focus on preserving regional values, including the communities, cultural assets, and natural landscapes.
In addition, urban regeneration support centers were established in eight housing regeneration areas in Seoul (Changsin and Sungin, Haebangchon, Garibong, Sinchon, Seongsu, Jangwi, Sangdo, and Amsa-dong) to facilitate communications among the administration, local residents, and stakeholders. Master planners and activists were dispatched to onsite centers to actively support the implementation of the urban regeneration initiative.
The SMG also bought and renovated anchor facilities for the regeneration revitalization areas for use as bases for the local residents’ economic, cultural, and social activities free of charge. The SMG provided support for the residents’ economic self-sufficiency in operating the facilities and laid the foundation for sustainable and self-sufficient communities.
Nineteen areas received support for implementing resident-led initiatives involving meetings with about 1,600 residents. There were 140 education and training classes a year given to over 3,000 residents to strengthen the capacity of residents in regeneration areas. Educational and training programs to discover and foster “regeneration activists” produced over 120 regeneration activists a year, who were dispatched as mentors to assist residents in regeneration areas.
To establish a sustainable and self-sufficient economic basis, the SMG also provided consulting for the development of products that were representative of regional characteristics. Through these efforts, 53 neighborhood enterprises and cooperative associations in 23 areas received support, such as joint marketing events to promote their products, as a way of laying a foundation for residents’ self-sufficient economy.
Moreover, the SMG developed a comprehensive diagnosis and monitoring system for regeneration projects and enhanced their implementation through systematic management, comprehensive evaluation, and feedback.
For the successful implementation of the regeneration projects, the SMG’s Urban Regeneration Headquarters invested KRW 195 billion in 2016 in projects and has plans to invest about KRW 231 billion this year as well.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Regeneration Headquarters, which is in charge of Seoul’s urban regeneration initiative, established the 2025 Seoul Urban Regeneration Strategy Plan and the urban regeneration revitalization plans. The former is a long-term master plan for Seoul’s urban regeneration initiative until 2025, consisting of a phase-by-phase roadmap to promote urban regeneration, while the latter are plans for eight areas with deteriorated residential environments, but where complete demolition is not suitable or plausible due to local characteristics. In the planning stage, residents’ proposals were sought and these were then reflected in the plan. In the implementation stage, consultative groups made up of residents of the areas under urban regeneration and a cooperative system consisting of government officials, civilian experts on urban renewal, and universities in the regeneration areas was established to ensure the initiative went smoothly.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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With the transformation of the city’s development paradigm into the community regeneration initiative, it became possible to protect the housing of the socially vulnerable and lay the foundation for sustainable communities.
Among the 683 areas across Seoul that were expected to be redeveloped and reconstructed, 328 became regeneration projects focusing on the preservation of local values and landscapes. (These areas include the Changsin and Sungin-dong apparel industry village, the Ihwa and Chungsin-dong Seoul City Wall mural village, and the Haengchon-dong fortress village urban farming project.)
Previous redevelopment and reconstruction projects offered little protection for the socially vulnerable and their right to housing, as forced demolition was legally allowed if over 75 percent of residents agreed to it. For the first time in Korea, however, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) adopted strong and “comprehensive preventive measures against forced demolition” to systematically provide a social safety net that protected the housing rights of the socially vulnerable (such as residents of the Muak-dong Okbaraji History and Culture Street).
For eight housing regeneration revitalization areas as well as 22 neighborhoods in 9 regions, the SMG provided support for regeneration projects tailored to the characteristics of the areas and to establish neighborhood enterprises for economic self-sufficiency. The SMG also supported a joint exhibition and sales of representative products from 53 enterprises in 24 regeneration areas. Through implementing housing regeneration initiatives tailored to each area, it was possible to lay the foundation for sustainable and economically self-sufficient communities while preserving the historical and cultural assets of all of the areas.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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During Seoul’s rapid growth and modernization, the combination of the widespread notion that real estate was a means to amass wealth and the interests of the profit-seeking property developers gave rise to a redevelopment and reconstruction approach that involve large-scale demolition of residential areas and the construction of apartment complexes. This approach brought protests from the poor and vulnerable, who were without the means to remain in the area as residents, and gave rise to conflicts among residents, the destruction of communities, and other social issues.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) dispatched civilian “conflict mediation coordinators” to conflict-ridden development areas to facilitate communication and dialogue among the stakeholders and help decide on the direction of projects. The government also supported the promotion of alternative urban regeneration projects to replace development that involved the demolition of entire residential areas.
Moreover, residents were encouraged to voluntarily participate in the new regeneration initiatives. The SMG made efforts to change the residents’ awareness of redevelopment through education, training, and fostering of urban regeneration activists. It also provided funding for urban regeneration areas to form residents’ associations.
Establishing the foundation for residents’ economic self-sufficiency is a top priority for a sustainable regeneration of cities and communities. To this end, the SMG initiated the basis for sustainable communities by providing comprehensive support for the development, designing, promotion, and sales of specialty products specific to the urban regeneration areas.
To prevent gentrification and other side effects resulting from development and to protect small business owners’ leases, the SMG also facilitated the signing of memoranda of agreement between lessors and tenants, thereby deterring lessors from raising rents for a certain period. In this way, the SMG set an example of urban regeneration that encourages mutual growth that benefits both lessors and tenants.
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