Much like New York's Hudson Yards, Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, and Tokyo's Azabudai Hills, Cheongna International City is poised to become a prime example of integrated urban planning. These global counterparts share a common thread: they seamlessly blend residential, commercial, office, cultural, and recreational spaces within a single area, organically connecting work, life, and leisure. This holistic approach to mixed-use development has been credited with significantly enhancing urban competitiveness. Urban planning experts concur that such integrated spatial configurations maximize resident convenience and simultaneously invigorate a city's economic and cultural vitality.
New York's Hudson Yards, a colossal $25 billion project, transformed dilapidated railway yards in the heart of Manhattan into a cutting-edge mixed-use complex. It now features advanced office buildings, luxury residential units, shopping malls, museums, and performance venues, solidifying its status as a global business hub and a new landmark for New York City.
In Germany, Berlin's Potsdamer Platz captivated global attention as international architects collaborated to revitalize a long-neglected downtown area after reunification, creating a state-of-the-art mixed-use space. Its vibrant urban environment, blending high-rise office buildings with diverse cultural facilities, shopping malls, and restaurants, has made it a celebrated model of urban regeneration worldwide.
Tokyo's Azabudai Hills in Japan is a large-scale urban regeneration project that transformed a dilapidated low-rise residential area into a futuristic city. Characterized by the organic connection of offices, residences, commercial establishments, and cultural facilities around a central skyscraper, the project also incorporates a "forest within the city" to coexist with nature, building a new lifestyle that has bolstered its global competitiveness.
The Current Landscape of Mixed-Use Development in South Korea
Domestically, AlphaDome City in the heart of Seongnam's Pangyo New Town and Seoul's The Parkside in Yongsan stand out as prominent examples of mixed-use development.
AlphaDome City is a large-scale mixed-use development project situated in a city center. Its development centered around a tech cluster, attracting major IT companies and startups, and harmoniously integrated various facilities such as department stores, hotels, and media art spaces. It is recognized as a convergent mixed-use city where advanced industries and residential culture coexist.
Yongsan's The Parkside is a project redeveloping the former United Nations Command site, a returned US military base, into a futuristic mixed-use space. It will house global ultra-luxury hotels, premium officetels, residential complexes, and cultural facilities. Analysts suggest this project will further elevate Seoul's urban status by establishing a new high-end lifestyle hub in the heart of the city.
Incheon Cheongna International City: The Future of Noteworthy Mixed-Use Development
Where will the new mixed-use development city that represents South Korea emerge in the 2030s, just five years from now? Urban planning experts are focusing on the development of Cheongna International City.
Cheongna is currently entering its "3.0 era," transforming into a future-oriented city encompassing industry, economy, culture, healthcare, and transportation infrastructure. Detailed development plans for the Cheongna International Business District involve a total investment of 1.7 trillion won across 144,000 square meters in Cheongna 3-dong. The master plan envisions a harmonious blend of large-scale residential complexes, offices, commercial facilities, and diverse spatial designs.
Various urban infrastructures surrounding the International Business District are expected to create significant synergy with South Korea's largest mixed-use development space. Nearby the Cheongna International Business District, diverse urban developments are underway, including finance, robotics, healthcare, and culture:
Hana Dream Town: Hana Financial Group's large-scale financial complex, scheduled for completion in 2026.
Starfield Cheongna: Featuring South Korea's second domed stadium, along with a shopping mall and hotel, slated for completion in 2027.
Seoul Asan Cheongna Hospital: Expected in 2029, alongside a Medical Complex where KAIST and Harvard Medical School research institutes plan to establish a presence.
Video Culture Complex: To be developed on a scale equivalent to 11 soccer fields, with completion projected for 2031.
Incheon Robot Land: A mixed cluster centered on the robotics industry, anticipated in 2028.
Cheongna City Tower: A planned super high-rise landmark reaching 448 meters, equivalent to 100 floors.
These numerous development catalysts position the Cheongna International Business District as a next-generation mixed-use development model, organically combining residential, industrial, and cultural elements. Urban planning experts project that "future cities are not merely places with large and impressive buildings, but rather their competitiveness lies in how many experiences and values they can connect." They emphasize that "from that perspective, the Cheongna International Business District has a high probability of becoming a mixed-use development model that will simultaneously drive the future and urban growth."
Cheongna Peak One Prugio: Incheon's First Indoor Balcony Officetel Unveiled
This summer, the Cheongna International Business District will introduce Cheongna Peak One Prugio, an officetel development. This marks the first time in Incheon that indoor balconies have been incorporated, boasting distinctive product features.
Cheongna Peak One Prugio's indoor balcony design enhances the actual usable area. For instance, units with a dedicated area of 84 square meters (approximately 25 pyeong) will include a balcony of around 20 square meters (5-6 pyeong). This effectively expands the usable area to 104-107 square meters (31-32 pyeong).
The balcony's impact is even more pronounced in larger units. A dedicated area of 119 square meters (36 pyeong) will feature balconies ranging from 24-37 square meters (7-11 pyeong), expanding the usable area to 144-157 square meters (43-47 pyeong). This differentiated product feature, rarely seen in officetels, significantly elevates residential value.
Residents can customize their balconies to suit their preferences, transforming them into home cafes, study rooms, playrooms, pet rooms, or even saunas. The balconies, situated in a building reaching up to 49 stories, also offer ocean or city views (in select units).
The community facilities are also noteworthy, including a fitness club, golf club, G/X, sauna, laundry lounge, green cafe, kids' playroom, kids' station, resident meeting rooms, greenery studio, private reading room, banquet hall, open kitchen, and guesthouses, with planned brunch services. All units will have individual storage units, enhancing living convenience.
Cheongna Peak One Prugio will be built on Block B1 of the Cheongna International City Business District in Cheongna-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon. Cheongna Smart City Co., Ltd. is the developer, and Daewoo E&C is the construction company. The complex will consist of four buildings, ranging from five basement levels to 49 stories above ground, with a total of 1,056 units across exclusive areas of 84 to 119 square meters.
"Peak One," the mixed-use brand officially launched by Cheongna Smart City Co., Ltd., signifies the single, pinnacle location within Cheongna International City. This brand encapsulates the locational value of the Cheongna International Business District. It is drawing attention as a residential complex where residents can enjoy the privileges of a completed international business district immediately upon move-in.
Transportation conditions are also excellent. The Cheongna International Business District Station (tentative name) on Seoul Subway Line 7, slated for 2027, is approximately a 5-minute walk away, making it a super-station complex. This line is planned to be directly connected to the Airport Railroad Line 9 (Incheon International Airport-Cheongna-Yeouido-Sinnonhyeon). Additionally, the Third Yeonryuk Bridge (Incheon International Airport-Cheongna, scheduled to open in 2025), the undergrounding of Gyeongin Expressway (construction starting in 2029, opening planned for 2032), and the GTX-D and E double express rail lines are all under promotion.
Elementary and middle schools are planned within approximately a 5-minute walk from the complex. Incheon Physical Education High School and Dalton Foreign School are also located within a 1.5 km radius. Dalton Foreign School, along with Chadwick International School in Songdo International City, is recognized for its Korean academic accreditation. Various parks, including Munhak Park, Lake Park, Beach Park, and Sunset Park, are connected to the Cheongna Waterfront Park, offering opportunities for walks and healthy runs. The largest Costco in South Korea recently opened near the complex. Starfield Cheongna, the largest mega-complex cultural shopping mall in the country, which will include a domed stadium, is scheduled for 2027, and Seoul Asan Cheongna Hospital is planned for 2029.
A representative from Cheongna Peak One Prugio's sales team stated, "As a residential complex that marks the beginning of the mixed-use city representing Cheongna's completion phase, its symbolism is significant." They added, "The Cheongna International Business District is being developed to a standard that can stand shoulder to shoulder with famous cities worldwide, so we expect its residential value to further increase once surrounding development and living infrastructure expansion are complete."
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