There is a possibility that the requirement to install child-focused communal facilities such as playgrounds and day care centers in apartments in small and midsize cities with populations under 300,000 will be eased. Apartments with a certain number of households must install playgrounds and day care centers, but for small and midsize cities, a bill is being pushed to allow facilities that children and older adults can use together instead of playgrounds and day care centers. As aging accelerates in small and midsize cities, especially in the provinces, there have been cases where playgrounds and day care centers are installed but not properly used and left neglected.
If this bill passes, dwelling construction project operators are expected to be able to build apartments flexibly to match the characteristics of residents, improving the efficiency of complex operations. However, there are concerns that easing the obligation to install children's facilities could, in the long run, weaken the foundation for attracting children and accelerate regional decline.
According to the National Assembly Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee on the 2nd, 12 lawmakers including Lee Jong-bae recently proposed an amendment to the Housing Act that would allow, in cities and counties with populations under 300,000, the installation of facilities that children and older adults can use together instead of playgrounds and day care centers when building apartments. Lee said the background of the proposal was "to build multiunit dwellings that take into account city size and population composition to improve space-use efficiency and to create an environment where children and older adults can coexist."
Under the current Housing Act, dwelling construction project operators are required to install senior community centers, children's playgrounds, day care centers, resident exercise facilities, small libraries, and more, depending on the size of the dwelling complex. Under the dwelling construction standards regulations, children's playgrounds are mandatory for multiunit dwellings with 150 or more households. If there are 300 or more households, a day care center must be installed.
Article 55, Paragraph 4 of the Regulations on Standards for Dwelling Construction, etc., states that if the project plan approval authority deems that installation is unnecessary in light of the characteristics of the complex and the status of facility installations in nearby areas, such facilities need not be installed. However, with this legal amendment, what is currently possible under the enforcement decree has been clearly specified in the statutory text, limited to facilities such as day care centers.
Recently, due to rapid aging, utilization rates for child-focused communal facilities that must be installed, such as day care centers and playgrounds, have plunged. Many provincial cities with populations under 300,000 have already surpassed an aging rate of 20% and entered a super-aged society. However, the communal facility installation rules under the Housing Act still do not reflect these changes.
In practice, Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) built day care centers in public rental apartments with 300 or more households under the mandatory installation rule, but in many cases they did not open and were left vacant due to low birthrates.
If this legal amendment is made, there is an assessment that complex operations could be tailored to the characteristics of multiunit dwellings in areas with many older residents. Rather than changing the use to other facilities after installing child-focused facilities with no demand and going through multiple procedures, creating shared facilities for all generations that children and older adults can use together from the outset is expected to improve the efficiency of apartment operations. It also appears it could raise resident satisfaction.
However, concerns are also being raised, mainly among private builders, that easing the obligation to install children's facilities could worsen urban aging. Apartments without infrastructure for children may be less attractive to younger households, reducing the inflow of children to cities and, further, creating a vicious cycle in which presales become more difficult.
An official at a regional builder said, "From a builder's perspective, if fewer facilities are required, it saves expense," but added, "However, even in provincial apartments there is demand for community facilities, and if child-focused communal facilities such as playgrounds or day care centers are lacking, unsold units may occur. Households with children will continue not to move in, so it is questionable whether people will want to buy."