Gyeonggi Province Approves Urban Regeneration Activation Plan for Bucheon's Sosa Area on the 24th

Urban regeneration projects in Bucheon's Sosa area, designated as an urban regeneration activation zone due to severe aging, are beginning in earnest.

On the 24th, Gyeonggi Province granted final approval to Bucheon's urban regeneration activation plan for Sosa-bondonng and Sosa-bon 1-dong areas, former Newtown designation zones, as submitted by Bucheon City.

With the approval of the urban regeneration activation plan, the Sosa area of Bucheon will receive a total budget of 86.3 billion won over a five-year period through 2020, including: a priming project fund of 10 billion won (including 5 billion won in national funding), 3.5 billion won in collaborative government projects, 72.4 billion won in Bucheon City projects, and 40 million won in private sector projects. This activation plan reflects the vision of 'a vibrant Sosa village embracing Seongjusan' and incorporates ideas from residents presented at decline diagnosis conducted by the city as well as at the Urban Regeneration University and public hearings.

The unit projects include a total of 32 projects: ▲18 priming projects such as customized community center development ▲village guide training ▲artist studio establishment ▲Hyohyeon-ro history-making ▲village enterprise cultivation programs, and ▲government collaborative projects.

Earlier, Gyeonggi Province approved in December of last year the urban regeneration strategy plan for Bucheon's old downtown areas including Chunui, Sosa, and Gogang, as submitted by Bucheon City.

The 'urban regeneration strategy plan' is an urban planning initiative to revitalize old downtown areas facing difficulties due to narrow roads and aging buildings. Municipal and county governments establish such plans, and Gyeonggi Province approves them.

Municipal and county governments diagnose the degree of urban decline including population and industrial facility decline and aging buildings, comprehensively consider the urgency and ripple effects of urban regeneration, select urban regeneration activation areas, and establish regeneration strategies.

Through the strategy plan, Bucheon designated seven areas as urban regeneration activation zones: ▲Chunui ▲Singheung (urban economic base type) ▲Sosa ▲Wonmi ▲Gogang ▲Wonjong ▲Bucheon Station (neighborhood regeneration type). The Sosa area corresponds to Phase 1 among the seven activation areas in Bucheon's urban regeneration strategy plan.

Gyeonggi Province evaluated the Sosa area as a region rich in urban regeneration potential for forming village communities, citing the presence of diverse local assets for urban regeneration including Seongjusan, the Gyeongpyeong Railway line—Korea's first railroad—and the Sosaeul Hanmadag Festival.

Mo Sang-gyu, director of the Urban Regeneration Division at Gyeonggi Province, said, "We will also expeditiously complete the urban regeneration strategy plans currently being promoted in Pyeongtaek, Suwon, Anyang, and Seongnam to establish a foundation for recovering urban functions in declining areas."