Incheon to develop the old city center near Maehwa/Songnim Villages and the Songdo Yeokjeon Market
The Incheon Metropolitan City Government has selected four projects, including the Jemulpo Station Regeneration project, as part of its third Urban Regeneration New Deal project for 2021. The four sites selected for the Urban Regeneration New Deal project are the Jemulpo Station (urban center regeneration project), Maehwa Village and Songnim Village in Dong-gu, and the Songdo Yeokjeon Market in Yeonsu-gu (preliminary urban regeneration project).
The Urban Regeneration New Deal project aims to add to Incheon’s competitiveness by revitalizing old residential districts and decaying old city centers while maintaining their traditional and historic cityscapes, which is unlike conventional redevelopment projects that completely reface a neighborhood.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport called for applications for the project during the second half of 2021, and confirmed the four sites after a series of on-site inspections, presentations, practical assessments, and deliberation by the Urban Regeneration Special Committee. For the project, the Incheon Metropolitan City Government secured KRW 18.14 billion in funds from the central government.
The Jemulpo Station area, which was selected as the “Urban Center Regeneration” project, will receive an investment of KRW 70.4 billion for the next five years (2022~2026), including KRW 18 billion from the central government, to help build a new Young Square complex (B3~10F) near the North Plaza of Jemulpo Station. Young Square will add 223 underground parking spaces, create a community square on its first floor, and feature a software promotion complex, communal kitchen, and rooftop garden.
The Jemulpo Station also includes plans to improve and supply facilities that can help improve the lives of local residents - it will remodel the senior center and main garden, reorganize back alleyways and streets, secure new residential facilities (e.g. child care centers), and introduce infrastructure that incorporates smart technology.
When complete, the project is expected to shed its image as a dull waypoint or transit hub and become a destination sought out by students and younger consumers who had left the area when Incheon National University relocated to its new campus.
Moreover, with its Jemulpo Station project, Incheon is hoping to restore local communities by creating new job opportunities and supporting local companies working hard to solve problems in the community with innovative software. It also wants to introduce smart technology that can make life easier for locals and facilitate neighborhood activities.
Incheon has been preparing this project since 2019 according to the city’s Urban Regeneration Strategic Plan. However, the project was almost canceled on multiple occasions due to complaints against the construction of public housing in the Young Square in 2020, and again when the eastern half of the project area was designated for the 3080 Urban Public Housing Complex project in 2021.
Fortunately, the project was green-lighted thanks to the city’s collaboration with other related organizations, including the Incheon Housing and City Development Corporation, Incheon Technopark, Smart City Co., Ltd., and the Incheon Metropolitan City Office Of Education, and also some strong support from locals who continued to promote the project.
For the Preliminary Urban Regeneration project, three sites were selected: Maehwa Village and Songnim Village in Songnim-dong, Dong-gu, and Songdo Yeokjeon Market in Ongnyeon-dong, Yeonsu-gu. The total budget for this project has been set at KRW 300 million (KRW 140 million from the central government, KRW 160 million from the local government), which will be invested across the three sites in 2022.
Maehwa Village in Songnim-dong, Dong-gu, will be the subject of a regionally specialized regeneration project utilizing the Village’s historical and cultural resources, whereas Songnim Village will become home to a series of low-rise residential properties designed to reflect local characteristics.
The Songdo Yeokjeon Market area in Yeonsu-gu will be renovated to revitalize the Songdo Yeokjeon Market and promote collaborative projects between markets, nearby neighborhoods, and local residents. Once the Preliminary Urban Regeneration project is complete, these three sites can apply for the Urban Regeneration New Deal project.
