Suwon's 'Seodun-dong Seoho District New:Village Project' Gains Momentum

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jeong Jun-sung] Suwon City has been selected for the 'Suwon Seodun-dong Seoho District New:Village Project' in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's '2024 New:Village Project' competition.

The New:Village Project provides package support for infrastructure, convenience facilities, and housing redevelopment in aging low-rise residential areas.

It is a project that innovates aging low-rise residential spaces and supports resident and community-led housing redevelopment.

The Suwon Seodun-dong Seoho District New:Village Project will be implemented from 2025 to 2029 in the Seodun-dong 201-1 area (99,928 m²).

Through this competition selection, Suwon City will receive 15 billion won in national funding and 3 billion won in provincial funding. The total project cost is 25 billion won.

Seodun-dong faces poor development conditions due to height restrictions.

In the past, it was an active area with Seoul National University's College of Agriculture, the Rural Development Administration, and the Korea Meteorological Administration, but as public institutions relocated one after another in the early 2000s, the population declined and the area has continued to deteriorate.

Through the New:Village Project, Suwon City plans to develop a non-apartment residential complex with good infrastructure and convenience facilities, making Seodun-dong a residential hub in the western Suwon region.

Seodun-dong, designated as an urban regeneration revitalization area in 2022, prepared for urban regeneration projects based on resident participation from 2022 to 2023.

In line with the government's changed urban regeneration policies, the city has been establishing the Seodun-dong urban regeneration revitalization plan since March this year.

Resident demands were gathered through surveys and public hearings, and a business plan was established that includes parking lot and park development, which had the highest demand.

Through the New:Village Project, Suwon City will install infrastructure facilities linked with private housing redevelopment projects and create resident convenience facilities by utilizing the aging public building (Seodun-dong Administrative Welfare Center).

Specific projects include △installation of autonomous housing convenience facilities △parking lot development △small park creation △road improvement projects △public rest area creation △Seodun Business Center development △resource circulation hub creation △crime prevention facility installation △community gathering space creation, and others.

A Suwon City official stated, "Through the New:Village Project, we will improve the residential environment in the Seodun-dong area and create a hub for Seodun-dong revitalization," adding "We will establish a New:Village Support Center to support redevelopment projects in the field and build cooperative systems."