City seeks to ease 53 years of resident hardship under development restrictions
Daejeon said Thursday it will launch a citizen-participation survey to identify development-restricted zone (greenbelt) sites eligible for deregulation, inviting residents to directly propose areas they believe should be released from restrictions.
The survey is part of the city's effort under its ninth elected administration to advance resident-centered governance and address the hardships that greenbelt designations have imposed on property rights over the past 53 years. The city said the initiative also aims to improve the objectivity and effectiveness of the site-selection process.
Previously, candidate sites for greenbelt release were identified solely through administrative field surveys. The new survey opens a formal channel for residents to propose sites themselves. The city plans to review citizen proposals alongside its own administrative findings to identify areas where lifting restrictions would ease residents' daily hardships, and to adjust greenbelt boundaries more rationally.
Eligible sites for citizen proposals include disconnected parcels smaller than 30,000 square meters, clustered residential settlements of 20 or more housing units, boundary-straddling lots of 10,000 square meters or less, and small-scale plots under 10,000 square meters.
The city will accept proposals from Monday through Aug. 14 — a three-week window — and will publicize the project through its official website and media outlets. Residents wishing to participate can submit proposals online through the city website, listing the site's location, deregulation category and surrounding conditions, or apply by phone through the city's Urban Planning Division greenbelt team.
Submitted sites will undergo field inspections and review under relevant laws and guidelines before being incorporated into a phased deregulation plan. Alongside this, the city will conduct a comprehensive survey of all potential greenbelt release sites and plans to classify the surveyed and submitted locations in August to establish a phased deregulation roadmap.
"The heart of this survey is identifying, together with residents, the areas where greenbelt restrictions are causing real hardship in daily life," a city official said. "We hope many residents will actively propose sites where they believe greenbelt release is needed."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
