Special Report Vol. 67 (2022)

Evaluation of Korea’s New Town Policies in the Capital Region

Chapter I. Introduction

Chapter II. Current Status and Issues of New Towns in the Capital Region

1. New towns in Phase 1

2. New towns in Phase 2

3. New towns in Phase 3

4. Issues related to new towns in the capital region

5. Framework to analyze the impact of construction of new towns in the capital region

Chapter III. The Impact of Constructing New Towns

1. Housing stabilization in the capital region

2. Balanced development of the capital region

3. Self-sufficiency and convenience in new towns

Chapter IV. Policy Implications and Conclusions

Summary

This study reviewed and evaluated the policies for developing new towns in Phases 1 and 2 to seek what is a future sustainable new town policy in the capital region of Korea, specifically at a time when the Korean government is pursuing urban development to provide housing supply on a large scale, including building new towns during Phase 3 in the region. For the research purpose, the impact of the construction of new towns in Phases 1 and 2 has been analyzed based on statistical and commuting data. The study highlighted that while the construction of new towns in Phases 1 and

2 partly contributed toward stabilizing housing prices in Seoul and the capital region, it would be important to distribute the population density of Seoul in terms of the spatial structure of the capital region and ensure consistency with upper-level plans and connect with the surrounding areas in terms of balanced development. Furthermore, this study recommends increasing self-sufficiency for employment and living in new towns. It is also suggested that, ultimately, the construction of new towns in Korea must be pursued by comprehensively considering and not just providing and stabilizing housing but also seeking balanced development of the capital region and self-sufficiency of the new towns.