Seoul will ease building rules for low-rise residential areas in Okin-dong and Myeongnyun 3-ga in Jongno District and Mangu-dong in Jungnang District. Designated as special architectural zones, the areas can apply a floor area ratio of up to 1.2 times the standard level, with height and layout requirements also eligible for relaxation depending on local conditions.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 1st that it has designated and announced three Human Town 2.0 project sites — Okin-dong and Myeongnyun 3-ga in Jongno District and Mangu-dong in Jungnang District — as special architectural zones. Including Sinyeong-dong in Jongno District and Guro-dong in Guro District, which were designated earlier, the number of Human Town 2.0 special architectural zones rises to five.
Human Town 2.0 is a Seoul renewal model that supports the construction and remodeling of detached houses, multi-family homes and low-rise multi-unit housing in low-rise residential areas where large-scale development is difficult because of scenic district or height district restrictions. Unlike approaches such as Moa Town, which combine multiple lots to build apartment complexes, the model renews housing on individual lots or through building agreements between adjacent lots, preserving the character of existing alleys and neighborhoods.
Okin-dong and Myeongnyun 3-ga have struggled to secure sufficient floor space and project viability in new construction because of small lots, sloped terrain and narrow alleys. In Okin-dong, 297 of the area's 418 lots, or 71.1%, are smaller than 90 square meters.
Under the designation, projects that meet requirements such as the Human Town 2.0 design guidelines can raise the floor area ratio to as much as 1.2 times the level set by city ordinance. For Class 2 general residential zones in Okin-dong and Myeongnyun 3-ga, where buildings are limited to seven stories, the ratio rises to a maximum of 240% from 200%.
Tailored exemptions also apply. In Okin-dong, the height limit within a natural scenic district can rise to 20 meters from 16 meters, and in Myeongnyun 3-ga to 14 meters from 10 meters. Where underground parking or non-residential uses are built on sloped land, the building-to-land ratio can rise to as much as 80% from 60%, limited to the portion of the basement level exposed above ground.
The city will also ease standards for open space required between a building and its lot boundary. Setbacks of one to three meters from the building line and adjacent lot boundaries can be cut to about half the current requirement. The cap on counting rooftop landscaping toward a site's total landscaped area will be raised to two-thirds from one-half.
Owners seeking the exemptions must apply to their district office for a building permit with an exemption application plan attached, and the city's architecture committee will decide whether and to what extent the exemptions apply. Seoul also offers free preliminary design services and consultations through "Humanator," a panel of outside experts, to help owners draw up building plans suited to their lots.
The special architectural zones will operate for three years after designation, and the city will decide whether to continue the program after monitoring results. Buildings granted exemptions must break ground within 12 months of receiving a building permit or filing a construction report to retain them.
Following these three sites, the city plans to complete architecture committee reviews for the designation of eight more special architectural zones within the year.
Myung No-jun, head of Seoul's housing office, said the city "adjusted building rules so that residents of neighborhoods where development is difficult can rebuild their old homes, raising the feasibility of housing renewal." He added, "We will pursue regulatory easing suited to local conditions alongside design management so that this leads to better living environments in aging low-rise residential areas."
