Experts evaluated the government's first-phase new town maintenance project relocation support measures as a way to accelerate the speed of the project. However, there were mixed concerns about whether it would be possible to time the actual utilization of idle land. There were also opinions that it would be difficult to secure various types of dwellings like existing homes when supplying the relocation support complexes.
On the 19th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced the relocation support and metropolitan traffic improvement measures for the first-phase new town maintenance project. The ministry estimated that the average annual occupancy volume from 2027 to 2031 would be 70,000 dwellings, exceeding the average annual relocation demand of 34,000 dwellings.
The ministry plans to supply 7,700 public and private dwellings in Bundang, Sanbon, and Pyeongchon, which are temporarily and locally short of occupancy volume among the first-phase new towns. In the Bundang new town, 1,500 public dwellings will be newly constructed on idle land located between the Seongnam Art Center and the central library. An additional 2,200 private dwellings will be supplied in the Gunpo Dangjeong industrial area maintenance site adjacent to the Sanbon and Pyeongchon new towns, and an industrial innovation hub will also be established.
Real estate experts noted that while the maintenance project for the first-phase new towns and other aging planned cities is challenging due to its large scale, it is a critical issue that must be addressed.
Lee Eun-hyung, a research fellow at the Korea Construction Policy Institute, stated, "Maintaining the first-phase new towns and other aging planned cities is indeed challenging, as it involves a large-scale maintenance project that our society has not yet experienced, but it is necessary. In particular, I think the government’s policy to naturally absorb relocation demand within the respective living area is good."
Song Seung-hyun, the representative of Urban and Economy, analyzed, "This measure, which systematically expands the transportation network that has been assessed as insufficient in the first-phase new towns, could positively impact the maintenance projects for aging planned cities."
Ham Young-jin, head of the real estate research lab at Woori Bank, explained, "Considering the launch of the first-phase new town lead district project, it seems desirable to respond preemptively regarding new supplies in regions such as Bundang and Pyeongchon, where there are concerns about concentrated relocation demand."
Nevertheless, experts raised questions about whether the government can sufficiently supply relocation dwellings within the planned period, as maintenance project sites are included among the idle lands presented by the government.
The research fellow explained, "Among the idle lands designated by the government, maintenance project sites are included, so it remains to be seen whether it will be possible to appropriately match the project pace to the plan of supplying 7,700 dwellings by 2029."
Kim Je-gyeong, the head of Two Me Real Estate Consulting, stated, "Even the ongoing maintenance project sites in Seongnam take about 15 to 20 years to proceed from the designation of maintenance areas, making it difficult to accelerate the project's pace. Given the government’s wish to complete the supply by 2029, time is very tight, and there is a possibility of significant conflict arising as local residents near the idle land oppose the construction of apartments for relocation support."
Ham, the head of the research lab, noted, "It is true that permit approvals and groundbreaking are decreasing in the metropolitan area, raising concerns about future reductions in completion. The government needs a strategy to respond flexibly to the timing of relocation and additional housing supply through continuous monitoring of the pace of the first-phase new town maintenance project."
There was also an analysis stating that it would be realistically difficult to prepare various dwelling types for building relocation housing.
The research fellow noted, "Given that existing apartment sizes may vary, creating a dedicated complex for relocation may not align well with reality."
Song also explained, "It is important to secure various types of dwellings for the relocation measures, but with around 7,700 dwellings, the diversity of dwelling types will likely be limited."