Seoul's Seongbuk-gu has completed its second community parking lot built on the site of an abandoned home in Seongbuk-dong, easing chronic parking shortages and improving the residential environment in the neighborhood.
The new lot is the second such project, following the first vacant-home parking lot opened in Anam-dong last April. The district demolished a long-neglected property that had raised concerns about crime and urban blight, creating five resident-priority parking spaces. Construction was completed July 23.
Seongbuk-gu signed a free-use agreement with the property owner for at least four years and covered the full demolition cost. The district reduced land acquisition costs while returning all parking revenue to the landowner — a public-private partnership model designed to benefit both sides. The project also included lowering curb edges and tidying the surrounding area to improve vehicle access, pedestrian safety and overall convenience.
The Seongbuk Urban Management Corporation will operate the lot on a consignment basis. Applications will be accepted in August, with users selected by lottery. Parking permits will be issued on a one-year rotating basis.
The district is currently accepting applications from owners of class-2 and class-3 vacant single-family and multi-unit homes suitable for conversion into parking lots after demolition, and plans to continue expanding the program.
"Following the first lot in Anam-dong, the active participation and cooperation of vacant-home owners made it possible to ease parking shortages and improve the residential environment in Seongbuk-dong as well," district mayor Lee Seung-ro said. "We will continue to identify and redevelop neglected vacant homes to expand the parking spaces our residents truly need."
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