Seoul to create 70 growth and lifestyle hubs, with up to 1,300% floor-area ratio allowed in Yeoksam, Jayang

Seoul reshapes city into multi-hub network for jobs, housing and culture

DDP, Changdong and Sanggye areas designated as priority growth zones

Seongne, Junggok, Doksan to be managed as lifestyle hubs with zoning upgrades

The area around 680-1 Yeoksam-dong, selected as a growth hub under Seoul's transit-oriented live-work-play activation strategy. [Naver Street View]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is moving to reshape the city into a multi-hub metropolis — integrating jobs, housing, culture and daily life — by linking major centers, transit transfer stations and arterial roads across Seoul. Yeoksam-dong in Gangnam-gu and Jayang-dong in Gwangjin-gu are slated for high-density mixed-use development as major growth hubs, while Seongne-dong, Changdong, Junggok-dong and Doksan-dong are set to be developed as lifestyle hubs outside transit-oriented areas.

The city announced Tuesday it had selected six pilot project sites — two for its growth-hub mixed-use development program and four for its growth-potential zone activation program. The selections follow up on the "Seoul Transit-Oriented Live-Work-Play Activation Strategy" announced in March.

The two growth-hub sites are 680-1 Yeoksam-dong in Gangnam-gu and a site in Jayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu. Under the program, sites of a certain size near city-center or metropolitan hubs, or around transit transfer stations, are eligible for high-density development. Where location and road-access requirements are met, zoning can be upgraded to allow a floor-area ratio of up to 1,300 percent under general commercial district standards. The city noted, however, that the selection alone does not confirm a 1,300 percent floor-area ratio for either site.

The Yeoksam-dong site sits within the transfer station area of Seonjeongneung Station and borders Eonju-ro. The city plans to extend the office functions concentrated along Teheran-ro into the Seonjeongneung Station and Eonju-ro corridor, creating a hub combining business, commercial, cultural and leisure uses.

The Jayang-dong site falls within the transfer station area of Konkuk University Station and is part of the Seongsu district center. The city envisions developing it as a northeastern growth hub connecting the advanced industries and young talent of the Seongsu-Konkuk area with cultural and commercial functions.

The city will also manage the areas around Dongdaemun Design Plaza and the Changdong-Sanggye corridor as "priority growth zones." Rather than immediately designating them as project areas, the system manages high-potential sites from the planning stage in line with the city's spatial development direction. Conversion to a full growth-hub mixed-use development project becomes possible once conditions such as landowner consent are met.

The DDP area overlaps the historic Hanyang City Wall district center with the transfer station zones of Dongdaemun Station and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, which the city sees as offering strong potential for mixed-use development tied to existing cultural, commercial and office functions. Large-scale projects are already under way in the Changdong-Sanggye area, including Seoul Arena and Seoul Digital Bio City. The planned GTX-C line and a multimodal transit center are also expected there, giving the corridor strong growth potential as a northeastern metropolitan hub.

The area around Jayang-dong, selected as a growth hub under Seoul's transit-oriented live-work-play activation strategy. [Naver Street View]

Four sites — 448-1 Seongne-dong in Gangdong-gu, 715-1 Changdong in Dobong-gu, 587-2 Junggok-dong in Gwangjin-gu, and 1066-2 Doksan-dong in Geumcheon-gu — were selected for the growth-potential zone activation program. Though located some distance from subway stations, these arterial road corridors see heavy public transit use and foot traffic. The program aims to transform them into lifestyle hubs anchored by office, commercial and daily-life facilities. Depending on the project type, zoning can be upgraded to as high as general commercial district status.

The Seongne-dong site sits along Gangdong-daero between Gangdong-gu Office Station and Olympic Park Station. The Changdong site is near Changdong Station, where a GTX-C stop and multimodal transit center are planned. Junggok-dong will leverage its location along Dongil-ro near the Dongbu Expressway and Jungnang Stream, while Doksan-dong will draw on its proximity to the Gasan and Guro Digital Industrial Complexes — each expanding its office and daily-life functions accordingly.

Alongside this, the city will manage six arterial roads — Dobong-ro, Dongil-ro, Tongil-ro, Gonghang-daero, Gyeongin-ro and Siheung-daero — as "growth-potential corridors," with the aim of coordinating development along each road rather than limiting it to individual lots. The city noted, however, that designation as a growth-potential corridor does not in itself mean a zoning upgrade.

The city plans to finalize development plans for the six pilot sites by December and begin administrative procedures, including formal project proposals, from January next year. The plans will then go through Urban Planning Committee review and licensing procedures. By 2030, the city aims to expand the total to 70 sites — 28 under the growth-hub mixed-use development program and 42 under the growth-potential zone activation program.

"We will upgrade the city-center and metropolitan hubs into high-intensity growth engines leading Seoul's future, while transforming the arterial road corridors between stations into lifestyle hubs that support residents' daily lives and local economies," said Kim Chang-gyu, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Urban Space Bureau.

quq@heraldcorp.com