Daegu lawmaker urges better demand forecasting for large public projects

Ko Byung-su, vice chairman of the Daegu Metropolitan Council's Construction and Transportation Committee, urged city officials Tuesday to improve demand forecasting and feasibility reviews for large-scale public projects during an administrative audit of the city's transportation bureau.

Ko said the scope of the Wolbae Neighborhood Park underground public parking lot project had expanded to cover a full-scale overhaul of the entire park, driving up construction costs by about 2 billion won ($1.48 million) and adding roughly 800 million won in supervision fees following a change in inspection methods — bringing the total cost increase to 2.8 billion won.

Ko said that despite a total project cost of about 13.8 billion won, the parking facility has seen low utilization rates, and questioned whether citizen demand and a cost-benefit analysis had been properly conducted at the outset.

"Public projects should not stop at building a facility — citizens must be able to enjoy real benefits commensurate with the budget invested," Ko said. "Daegu city and Dalseo-gu must come up with measures to promote the parking lot and boost its use."

Ko also reviewed the operational readiness of the Dalseong freight vehicle public garage, which received 61 billion won in funding. With a pilot operation set for this month ahead of a full launch in 2027, Ko said the city should secure user demand and improve accessibility — including public transit connections — before the facility opens.

"Going forward, any project receiving more than 5 billion won should undergo objective demand forecasting and economic and cost-benefit analysis from the earliest stage," Ko said. "If utilization rates fall at facilities built with enormous public funds, the burden ultimately falls on citizens, so pre-project reviews and measures to boost operational performance must be strengthened."