Questions/Answers

- Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, has seen rapid population growth, urban sprawl, and reckless development in the course of its industrialization and economic growth, resulting in violations of the human rights of its poorest and most vulnerable citizens and the destruction of communities. - The rise of property values and rental costs caused by development has either driven poor and vulnerable citizens out of their communities or destabilized their communities and reduced their quality of life by causing social issues such as gentrification. - With the inauguration of the Urban Regeneration Headquarters of Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) in 2015, the city drastically modified its development paradigm and launched the “Inclusive & Community-Customized Urban Regeneration Initiative.” To implement the initiative, the SMG established a “urban regeneration process” that consists of four phases: Phase 1 (Human Rights Protection), operation of Urban Regeneration Conflict Coordinators and Urban Regeneration Human Rights Defenders ; Phase 2 (Increased Transparency), operation of the Clean-Up System; Phase 3 (Promotion of Citizen Participation), provision of support for the organization of “self-sustaining community hope groups”; Phase 4 (Establishment of Self-reliant Communities), provision of support for the establishment and operation of the Community Regeneration Corporation (CRC). This phased approach aims to strengthen the protection of the human rights, among other rights, of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens of the city and make the city and its communities sustainable by enhancing the living conditions of citizens and reinforcing the basis for their economic independence.

- As a result, the need has emerged for a comprehensive, inclusive, and community-customized urban development policy that focuses on the restoration of urban communities, allows the benefits of development to be distributed fairly to the poorest and most vulnerable families, and provides citizens with the opportunity to participate in the community revitalization process, thereby protecting their rights as one of the main stakeholders in the urban regeneration effort. - To minimize violations of the rights of vulnerable citizens and the destruction of their communities, which is often a byproduct of urban development; - To implement an inclusive, comprehensive, and detailed development policy that ensures the benefits of urban development and community restoration are evenly distributed and accessible to the poorest and most vulnerable citizens; - To make the city sustainable and restore communities by promoting self-reliant, sustainable communities for poor and vulnerable citizens, thereby realizing communities capable of remaining economically independent in the long term.

The four phases of the urban regeneration process through which the Inclusive & Community-Customized Urban Regeneration Initiative is implemented are: - Phase 1 (Human Rights Protection): protection of human rights, among other rights, of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens through the operation of Urban Regeneration Conflict Coordinators and Urban Regeneration Human Rights Defenders - Phase 2 (Increased Transparency): operation of the Clean-Up System to enhance access to and increase the transparency of administrative services - Phase 3 (Promotion of Citizen Participation): provision of support for “self-sustaining community hope groups” to promote public-private partnerships and provide greater benefits to vulnerable citizens - Phase 4 (Establishment of Self-reliant Communities): provision of support for the establishment and operation of the CRC, with the aim of making Seoul a sustainable city and restoring communities through economic self-reliance. This four-phase regeneration process is in strict compliance with the description of Application Sector 1 (“Reaching the poorest and most vulnerable through inclusive services and partnerships”).

- Among the four phases of the urban regeneration process under the Inclusive & Community-Customized Urban Regeneration Initiative, we will focus on the third (provision of support for the organization of self-sustaining community hope groups), which involves citizens’ active participation in urban regeneration and the promotion of private-public partnerships, and the fourth (provision of support for the establishment and operation of the CRC ), which involves the establishment of a basis for realizing economic self-reliance in order to make Seoul a sustainable city and restore its communities. These efforts all contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

- Protect the human rights and other rights of the poorest and most vulnerable citizens through the efforts of the Urban Regeneration Conflict Coordinators and Urban Regeneration Human Rights Defenders; - -Enhance access to and the transparency of administrative services through the Clean-Up System; - Promote private-public partnerships for the benefit of poor and socially vulnerable people by supporting the organization of self-sustaining community hope groups; - Make Seoul and its communities sustainable and economically self-reliant by supporting the establishment and operation of the CRC.

- The four-phase urban regeneration process under the Inclusive & Community-Customized Urban Regeneration Initiative monitors and prevents, through administrative and institutional means, violations of the human rights of and violence committed against the poorest and most vulnerable citizens, who have the least access to legal protection, during their forced eviction and the destruction of their homes by property developers in the process of carrying out urban development projects. It also serves to protect the livelihoods and historic and cultural values of long-term community members of all ages and sexes (children, women, and the elderly). - The SMG provides consulting services designed to promote the development of products specifically suited to the characteristics of communities and enables the products of community corporations and cooperatives to be sold through joint marketing events, thereby fostering sustainable economic self-reliance. - Anchor facilities that were purchased in urban regeneration areas have been remodeled and opened to the public free of charge for use as venues for economic, cultural, and social activities conducted by residents and for-profit projects, further promoting economic self-reliance and helping build a foundation for the realization of sustainable communities

The Inclusive & Community-Customized Urban Regeneration Initiative through the four-phase urban regeneration process. 1. Urban Regeneration Conflict Coordinators were dispatched to resolve conflicts between developers and residents. A total of 113 civilian negotiation specialists were selected and dispatched to intervene in and resolve conflicts in redevelopment areas. Also, Urban Regeneration Human Rights Defenders, made up of government employees and lawyers, were operated to prevent human rights violations involving the use of violence against vulnerable citizens forced to leave their homes to make way for redevelopment. 2.The Clean-Up System was developed and operated to monitor the process of redevelopment and reconstruction projects and keep all citizens informed regarding the status of such projects carried out throughout Seoul. 3.The SMG supported the organization of self-sustaining community hope groups as a way of enabling poor and vulnerable citizens to become directly involved in community regeneration projects. The SMG helped residents develop community regeneration suitable to the conditions of their communities and actively participate in community regeneration. 4. The SMG supported the establishment and operation of the CRC to help vulnerable citizens build sustainable, self-reliant communities, which is in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

- The four-phase regeneration process under the Inclusive & Community-Customized Urban Regeneration Initiative comprises: (i) Urban Regeneration Conflict Coordinators and Urban Regeneration Human Rights Defenders, (ii) Clean-Up System, (iii) Hope Place and Planting Seeds of Hope projects, and (iv) the CRC. It is a unique and creative community regeneration process developed by the SMG for the purpose of making Seoul and its communities sustainable while protecting the human rights of its poorest and most vulnerable citizens throughout the course of the urban regeneration process.

- The Urban Regeneration Conflict Coordinators, made up of 63 civilian specialists (accountants, lawyers, etc.) were selected and dispatched to areas of conflict to intervene and pursue conciliation. - The Urban Regeneration Human Rights Defenders, comprising 68 lawyers, were organized into teams of four and sent to development sites to supervise and monitor human rights violations and illegal uses of force. - Since 2010, the process of redevelopment projects has been disclosed to citizens over the Internet via the SMG’s Clean-Up System. About 1,500 citizens visited the website every day, which is about 50,000 per month. Over the five years from 2010 to 2017, the total number of visitors was 28 million. - Annually, meetings attended by 1,600 citizens were organized and held in 40 areas, 140 education sessions were conducted to help 3,000 citizens strengthen their capabilities in relation to urban regeneration, and 120 civilian urban regeneration activists were trained and sent to urban regeneration sites to serve as mentors and help citizens increase their capacity. - Urban Regeneration Centers were installed in eight community revitalization areas in Seoul to act as platforms for communication among local administrations, local residents, and stakeholders. - the SMG’s Urban Regeneration Headquarters poured about KRW 700 billion into regeneration projects from 2015 to 2017

Yes

- The four-phase urban regeneration process under the Inclusive & Community- Customized Urban Regeneration Initiative, which was launched along with the inauguration of the Urban Regeneration Headquarters in 2015, has been recognized as an exemplary case of urban regeneration among the national and local governments. Every year, about 25,000 government employees visit Seoul to benchmark the process. - The reckless urban development being carried out around the world has caused serious damage, including environmental destruction, loss of historical and cultural heritage, and residence insecurity among poor and socially vulnerable people. The new urban development paradigm of the SMG, which aims to create sustainable cities and restore communities through regeneration projects, is not confined to Seoul; it represents a universal model for development that can be adjusted to suit the conditions of different nations and replicated around the world

- To ensure their sustainability, the urban regeneration projects were customized to the unique characteristics, history, and cultural, economic, and environmental aspects of each area. Also, the capacity-building of residents was emphasized in order to foster economic self-reliance. - A variety of supplementary policies have been established to support urban regeneration, including: the collection of citizens’ opinions on regeneration projects, operation of a regeneration education program, provision of support for the marketing of local products to promote economic self-reliance, provision of support for budgets and programs to invigorate meetings among citizens, installation of anchor facilities in regeneration areas, exploration and preservation of historical and cultural assets, and the execution of environmental conservation projects.

- The profit-making activities of communities include: amendment of laws and systems to support the effective implementation of urban regeneration projects; provision of support for the establishment of the CRC with the aim of creating sustainable jobs; for-profit and public projects based on anchor facilities; and operation of galleries, multi-purpose cafés, cooking classes, and shared offices. The purpose of these citizen-led activities is to create jobs that suit the characteristics of communities as a means of promoting sustainable urban development

Yes

In conducting its official policy evaluations, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has inspected and evaluated local governments nationwide every year since 2015 to gauge the results and performance of urban regeneration projects. The most successful local governments are awarded and granted incentives to boost their motivation, while less successful local governments are provided with guidance and assistance to help them address their shortcomings.

The SMG received a grade of “S,” the highest among five grades, in the 2016 evaluation (S: superior, A: excellent, B: good, C: insufficient, D: highly insufficient) and has been receiving a national government grant of KRW 10 billion

Seoul’s urban regeneration monitoring and evaluation system was developed over a one-year period by an outside organization. The system’s quantitative indicators (statistics) and qualitative indicators (surveys and interviews) have already been devised and a trial run is currently underway. The system collects the opinions of and feedback from residents and reflects them in policy. The eight Urban Regeneration Support Centers collect citizens’ opinions on urban regeneration, operate the Urban Regeneration Panel to conduct interviews of civilian specialists, and carry out online surveys via the urban regeneration portal website. The purpose of these efforts is to induce citizens to actively participate in and share their feedback on urban regeneration projects, and this feedback is reviewed and reflected in policymaking.

- A total of 63 Urban Regeneration Conflict Coordinators, made up of civilian specialists, were sent to 27 areas where conflicts had arisen between project implementers and residents over development projects. Over three years, 301 monitoring sessions were conducted to encourage conciliation among stakeholders, thereby protecting the interests of the most vulnerable citizens. - To prevent the use of physical force against vulnerable citizens in redevelopment areas and protect their human rights at building demolition sites, 68 Urban Regeneration Human Rights Defenders, comprising SMG employees and external lawyers, were organized into teams of four and dispatched to supervise and monitor redevelopment and demolition sites. - The Clean-Up System was developed to give all Seoul citizens access to information on all redevelopment projects underway throughout the city via the Internet. The system also allows citizens to report fraudulent acts, submit petitions, and gain access to information on the progress of specific redevelopment projects, thereby enhancing the transparency of the projects and the accountability of those involved in them. - The SMG supports the organization of self-sustaining community regeneration hope groups to encourage the poorest and most vulnerable citizens to engage in community regeneration projects. The organization of these groups is intended to help residents lead the selection of regeneration projects appropriate for the conditions of their communities and actively participate in the community regeneration process, thereby promoting partnerships between the private and public sectors. -The SMG supported the establishment and operation of the CRC with the aim of creating a foundation for achieving the sustainability and self-reliance of communities for the poorest and most vulnerable. The long-term goal of the CRC is thus to lay a foundation for achieving one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

- Sustainable cities and communities can be achieved only when the “people” are recognized and respected as a core value. - The key to Seoul’s residence revitalization is the recognition of the problems associated with the complete demolition method that has been applied thus far—i.e., focus on earning profits from development projects, collapse of residential environment and communities, and community development paradigm that ignores the identities and histories of communities. Another key element of the SMG’s regeneration efforts is the shift toward innovative, human-centered urban community regeneration. - The SMG adopted a bottom-up approach to residence regeneration led and participated in by local residents through private-public collaboration and devised a comprehensive urban regeneration policy that preserves and makes use of the historical and cultural heritage assets of an area and encompasses the economy, society, and community safety. By doing so, the SMG has been successful in building a self-sustaining, people-centered, citizen-led city and strengthening the social safety net for socially vulnerable people. - Ultimately, the factors that enable the sustainable development of a city and its communities are the implementation of a comprehensive urban regeneration policy that creates synergy by aligning the regeneration effort with a focus on the value of people.