Seoul unveils redevelopment plan for Mangwon-dong, preserving market alley culture

A neighborhood in Mangwon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul is set to be redeveloped into a residential complex of up to 29 floors and about 1,550 units. The plan calls for preserving Mangwon Market and the alley commercial district along Poeun-ro — known locally as "Mangnidan-gil" — while creating a pedestrian corridor linking Mangwon Station, the market and the Han River.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that it had finalized the rapid integrated plan for the redevelopment of the area around 416-53 Mangwon-dong.

The site covers approximately 68,879 square meters and sits about 500 meters from Mangwon Station on subway Line 6. Although Mangwon Market, the Poeun-ro commercial district and Mangwon Hangang Park are all nearby, the area has long been flagged for improvement due to a concentration of aging housing and a shortage of roads and parking.

The city plans to rezone the area from a second-class general residential zone restricted to seven floors or below to a second-class general residential zone with a higher allowance, permitting a floor-area ratio of up to 250 percent, a maximum height of 29 floors and roughly 1,550 units. The unit count will include public rental housing, with the exact breakdown to be determined during the formal planning process.

The centerpiece of the plan is a pedestrian axis connecting Mangwon Station, Mangwon Market and the Han River. A public walkway will follow the alignment of an existing road running east to west through the site, while roads running north to south — including Mangwon-ro 4-gil — will have separated pedestrian and vehicle lanes to create safe school routes. Street trees will be planted along the walkway and surrounding roads, tying the project to the city's "shaded walkway" policy.

Traffic conditions will also be improved. Roads connecting to Mangwon-ro, including Mangwon-ro 4-gil, will be widened to three or four lanes at 15 to 18 meters across. To minimize the impact on vehicle and foot traffic in the Mangnidan-gil commercial district, vehicle entrances to the apartment complex will be placed on the western and southern sides of the development.

A park and parking facilities linked to the local commercial district are also planned. A roughly 4,800-square-meter park will be built on the southeastern corner of the complex, where the east-west pedestrian axis meets the Mangnidan-gil commercial district, with a public parking lot below ground. Reflecting input from merchants at Mangwon Market and Mangnidan-gil, the park will include public restrooms, rest areas and other visitor amenities. Space will also be set aside for events tied to the commercial district, including local festivals.

The architectural plan was also adjusted to prevent a disconnect between the existing alley businesses and the new apartment complex. Buildings of 12 to 13 floors will be placed along the complex boundary where it meets the rear of the Poeun-ro storefronts, and small-scale retail units in keeping with the scale of neighboring shops will line the street facing Poeun-ro, preserving the distinctive streetscape of Mangwon-dong. A 10-meter building setback will be maintained between the existing commercial buildings and the apartment complex, with landscaping and other buffer space in between.

Views of the Han River and the surrounding landscape were also factored in. A visual corridor running east to west toward the western side of the site, where Mangwon Hangang Park is located, was secured, and the skyline was designed to rise toward the center of the complex, reaching a maximum of 29 floors.

With the Mangwon-dong plan finalized, the number of sites where rapid integrated planning has been completed now stands at 202 out of 314 citywide. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to notify Mapo-gu of the plan this month and proceed with follow-up steps toward designating the area as a redevelopment zone by March next year.

Kim Chang-gyu, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Urban Space Bureau, said the plan "focused on improving the transportation and pedestrian network and everyday amenities with the needs of Mangwon-dong's commercial district and local residents in mind," adding that the city would "support the creation of a residential complex where the alley commercial district and residents' daily lives come together."