What is the Urban Master Plan?

A Plan That Provides Long-term Direction for Urban Development for the Next 20 Years

The Urban Master Plan was legislated in 1981 pursuant to the Urban Planning Act to guarantee the sustainability of national territorial management for the purpose of using, developing, and preserving the land. It proposes policy direction for environmentally-sound and sustainable development, as well as the efficient and reasonable utilization of limited resources, thereby improving quality of life. By its nature, it is a comprehensive plan that presents a long-term framework for the city to adhere to in order to achieve its development goals 20 years down the road.

A Highest-Level Statutory Plan for Urban Development

The Urban Master Plan provides direction for lower-level plans that relate to the use, development, and preservation of land. As the highest-level plan, it provides guidelines for lower-level urban management plans and similar plans established by other relevant laws, for consistency and uniformity

A Comprehensive, Multi-faceted Plan

The Urban Master Plan is comprehensive and touches upon various aspects of the city, socially and economically, such as environment & energy, transportation & infrastructure, and culture & welfare. In the planning stage, it requires procedural justification wherein the input from citizens, experts, and administrators is collected and incorporated.

2030 Seoul Plan - Another Name for the Citizen-involved Urban Master Plan

The Seoul Plan is another name for the Seoul Master Plan, indicating that Seoul’s Urban Master Plan, based on the Act on Planning and Use of National Territory, was revised, in collaboration with its citizens, to reflect the characteristics of the city.

Under the guideline standards of the Urban Master Plan, Seoul developed its own urban master plan under another name, the “Seoul Plan”, to align the elements and contents of the Plan with Seoul’s specific requirements. Citizens, experts, and other interested parties were involved in formulation of the 2030 Seoul Plan, the process of which was carried on in an open, transparent manner. Key issues were incorporated into the Plan to complement the strategic nature of the Urban Master Plan. The Urban Planning Bureau and the Management & Planning Office led the way in raising the status of the plan.

Background to the 2030 Seoul Plan

Proper Timing to Review & Improve the 2020 Seoul Master Plan

It is necessary, according to Article 23 (Improvement of the Urban Master Plan) of the Act on Planning and Use of National Territory, to review the feasibility of the urban master plan of the relevant region every 5 years. Therefore, it became necessary to review the 2020 Seoul Master Plan, which was finalized in 2006, and revise the plan in accordance with the change in conditions.

Institutional Changes: Transition of the Authority to Establish an Urban Master Plan to Local Governments

With revision of the Act on Planning and Use of National Territory in February 2009, the authority to establish an urban master plan was moved from the central government to local governments. This gave the mayor of Seoul the authority and responsibility to develop an urban master plan that reflected the characteristics and conditions of the city.

Demands for Citizen Participation & Sharing to Realize Current Values

The Urban Master Plan of Seoul needed to incorporate the values of the time and changes in the environment. To do this, Seoul needed to consider the following: i) more stringent democratic procedures that do not exclude the citizens, as opposed to the old habit of relying on administrators and experts; ii) more focus on future values, such as sharing innovation, co-existence, and convergence; and iii) urban restoration and urban planning that reflects the actual lifestyle of the city and considers demographic changes and regional characteristics.

Direction of the Seoul Plan

The Seoul Plan was revised substantially to overcome the limitations of the existing Urban Master Plan, such as the lack of public involvement and actionability, and to reflect the changes in values felt by society. To help overcome the limitations of existing urban master plans, the Seoul Plan placed a priority on ‘people’ and was implemented as follows:

First, the planning stage was designed so as to allow both citizens and experts to review and make changes to the plan in an open and transparent manner from start to finish.
Second, the plan was revised to reflect the defining characteristics of Seoul, with input from citizens, and prepared in a way that is easy to understand.
Third, the relationship between the Seoul Plan and the plans from the Seoul government offices was reviewed to prioritize the policies and raise the status of the umbrella plan.
Fourth, the foundation was built upon so as to ensure that the abstract concepts of the Urban Master Plan are implemented and applicable in fact, thereby helping to improve the quality of life.
Fifth, plans were developed for the living spheres and CBD, for all practical purposes, to explicate the follow-up measures, monitoring systems, governance between autonomous districts and the capital city, financing principles, etc.

<Figure 2> Direction for the 2030 Seoul Plan

Features of the Seoul Plan

Citizen Involvement from the Planning Stage

In order to have public consensus, the Seoul Plan involved the citizens from the very beginning of planning so as to come up with the appropriate vision and tasks to perform. The public worked with administrators and experts in developing the plans for key issues.

        
Issue- & Goal-oriented Strategic Plans

The existing urban master plans had 12 different sub-plans by section, which made it more challenging to ensure consistency between those plans. Moreover, their scope was so broad and their content so technical that it was difficult for the citizens to read and understand. To address these issues, the 2030 Seoul Plan identified the major issues that would affect Seoul and was shortened and made easier to understand.

<Figure 3> Composition of the 2030 Seoul Plan

 

Inter-departmental Collaboration at Seoul Metropolitan Government

Led by the Urban Planning Bureau, the existing urban master plans were mostly focused on spatial and physical elements. However, the 2030 Seoul Plan reinforced welfare, education, history, culture, environment, and other non-physical aspects. During the entire planning stage, the Management & Planning Office and the Urban Planning Bureau encouraged the departments and offices at Seoul Metropolitan Government to work closely together and raised the status of the umbrella Seoul Plan.

Enhanced Role & Function of Living Sphere Plans

The existing urban master plans paid attention to quantitative and external growth and competitiveness but did not place much emphasis on quality of life.

The 2030 Seoul Plan however, laid out the framework necessary to build a 100-year urban plan that encompasses everything from the city-wide plan to minor, detailed plans that affect the life of the citizenry. For balanced regional development, the plan also pursued spatial restructuring and promoted the roles and functions of the living sphere plans.

 

Full-time Monitoring & Evaluation Systems for Effectiveness

The 2030 Seoul Plan instituted the continued monitoring and evaluation of the Plan to measure progress. Indices are available for key issues and goals that indicate the level of achievement, and the outcome is shared with the citizens. The public is encouraged to participate and evaluate so their input is incorporated in follow-up plans.

<Figure 4> Full-time Monitoring System in the 2030 Seoul Plan

Composition of the Seoul Plan

Vision, Key Issues, & Spatial Plan (Spatial Structure & Living Sphere Plan)

The basis of the 2030 Seoul Plan is to develop the future vision of the city and to propose appropriate goals and strategies. The Plan therefore is composed of the vision, key issues, and spatial plans that touch on spatial structure and living sphere plans for 2030.

Implementation Structure of the Seoul Plan

Collaborative Network of Citizens, Experts, & Administrators

In accordance with the 2030 Seoul Plan, the “2030 Seoul Plan Development Committee” was founded to establish the plan within a collaborative network and framework of citizens, experts, administrators, and other interested parties. The committee was comprised of the Seoul Plan Citizens’ Group that shapes the vision, and of sub-committees that help develop the plans for key issues.

The Citizens’ Group has 100 citizens as participants and is responsible for identifying the vision and key tasks for the city.

As for the sub-committees, there are 5 of them, with 108 participants in total, according to the tasks set up by the Citizens’ Group. Each sub-committee is composed of 20 people (experts, Seoul city government officials, city council members, civic organization and civic group members, and researchers from the Seoul Institute. They work together to propose goals and strategies for key issues.

<Table 2> Role of Master Planners at Difference Stages

Category		Vision & Key Issues	Plans by Key Issue
MP (Master Planner) Roles	General MP	⁃ Supervise identification and development of vision and key issues	⁃ Supervise sector subcommittees, prepare complete plan (draft) ⁃ Prepare and manage sector plan (draft)
	Sector MP	⁃ Supervise and manage system to encourage participation by the citizenry ⁃ Support deliberation by citizens’ groups and prepare a report	⁃ Host sector subcommittee meetings ⁃ Develop basic direction and framework of the plans (draft) ⁃ Draft a report for key issue plans

 

Development of the Seoul Plan

Preparation - Vision & Tasks – Drafts - Collection of Input and Administrative Procedures

For the 2030 Seoul Plan, an expert advisory group was formed to identify the basic direction and implementation structure of the Plan, and determine public participation. To develop the vision in line with the direction, the 100-member citizens’ group was created to come up with the vision and key tasks for Seoul in 2030.

To realize the vision and key tasks identified by the citizens’ group, the 2030 Seoul Plan Development Committee was created, comprising citizens’ groups, city council members, experts, and officials from the Seoul government. It drafted the 2030 Seoul Plan, which categorized the plans by key issue, spatial structure and land use plans, regional plans, and action plans.

This draft, made by the citizens, experts and administrators, was reviewed at public hearings and regional presentation sessions, and was finalized after fulfilling the statutory administrative procedures.

<Figure 7> Citizen-Involved Establishment of the Seoul Plan

Vision of Seoul 2030

Seoul 2030 as Envisioned by Citizens: “A Friendly City Based on Mutual Communication & Care”