"If this house collapses, this house will collapse too. I'm anxious."
"I want you to tear it down. My son almost died. I'm scared that I'm going to collapse every time I pass by."
A residential area in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. On the surface, it is an ordinary residential area, but if you go within one block, there are many vacant houses whose original shape is not even known. Long-neglected houses have collapsed, leaving concrete debris and dumped garbage into an "urban ruin." It is not uncommon for the roof to fall down to the side of the alley, making it inconvenient for traffic. The vacant houses, which are in danger of collapsing at any moment, threaten to collapse even the neighboring houses that are attached to them, and residents said they often stay up at night.
Vacant houses are a product of population decline and population outflow. The number of vacant homes nationwide has nearly doubled in just 10 years to more than 151.1 million, of which nearly 38,<> have been vacant for more than a year, not counting temporary vacant homes such as unsold and moving. Empty houses in the 'village bust' that threaten the survival rights of those who remain. Why is it not easy to solve the vacant housing issue even if local governments put their heads together?
"Five years ago, it was an empty street. The regeneration of vacant houses is very important for the initiative of the residents."
"What can we do ourselves? It started with thinking about how to do it."
Unlike metropolitan areas, where it is not easy to maintain individual housing due to high land prices, vacant houses in rural areas can also become a new asset. Gohan-eup, Jeongseon, Gangwon-do. When the coal mines closed and people left, the number of vacant houses increased, and the town turned gray, but now it is colorful. This is a so-called "lying village hotel" that was created by the initiative of the residents to renovate troublesome vacant houses into guesthouses, restaurants, and cafes. It started when the residents themselves renovated their homes, and it has become a tourist attraction visited by 40,<> people every year.
It is not easy to keep up with the rate of vacant housing, which is increasing faster than the maintenance of vacant houses. Therefore, it is also argued that we should introduce a "vacant rent" like the United Kingdom and Japan, which experienced vacant houses before us. How can we solve the big problem of empty houses? In this week's <New Story> we will evaluate the effectiveness of vacant house measures and point out alternatives through the example of vacant house regeneration.