Posted May. 10, 2001 08:01,
A French writer described the regional problem in France as ‘Paris and French Desert’. This well-known expression was cynically used to criticize the regional imbalance in France in which metropolitan Paris was the center of population and industry, while other areas of the France was like desert since the 1940s.
There are roaring voices that are concerned about the worsening imbalance between the metropolitan Seoul area and other regions since the foreign-exchange crisis. The sense of isolation and deprivation which the non-metropolitan areas have can be traced to the following factors; 46 % of total population reside in the metropolitan area which is only 12 % of total size of the nation, 88% of company headquarters are located in the metropolitan area, 65% of bank account and credit takes place in the metropolitan area, and the 53% of secondary industry employee have gravitated to the metropolitan area.
The seriousness of the problem is that various government policies have failed, despite the fact that the government has implemented the metropolitan area population control policy, the metropolitan area improvement policy, and the local development policy since 1964.
In 1980s the metropolitan area was divided into the five areas. The metropolitan area was divided into the three parts again in 1997 and was restricted against development plans. Since these policies, which sought to prevent the concentration of the population and industry, have failed, the government introduced the indirect regulation policies, such as factory total weight policy, overpopulation charge, and the appeasement policy for the semi-agricultural land development, to the metropolitan area in 1994.
The total weight regulation policy, which decides the total permissible weight for new or remodeled buildings, was designed to prevent the centralization of factory, school and other facilities that may induce the population.
This is true that total weight regulation policy makes it difficult for the metropolitan area, in which geographical condition is advantageous, to establish more advanced industrial facilities. However, business enterprises vehemently resist to this policy because this policy fetters business enterprises which try hard to improve the competitiveness. In addition, people are questioning what is the priority of the government policies because the government approves the construction of the new city in which no job opportunity is created, the development of semi-agricultural land which has kindled the public criticism, while it restrains the construction of factory buildings which produce high value-added products.
The government’s metropolitan area policy has not only failed to prevent the concentration of population, but also has failed to achieve the balanced development of the national land. This is the time for the government to develop a new paradigm for the metropolitan area. What would be the main factors that can successfully improve the competitiveness of metropolitan Paris in France and metropolitan London in England, while preventing over concentration of population into those areas?
First, metropolitan area concentration regulation policy cannot succeed without offering intensive investment and incentives to the local areas. France and England have made a lengthy effort to develop the local areas through local development subsidy, local industry subsidy, tax prime, promotion of the local employment, and the expansion of facilities. This indicates that the problem of the metropolitan area problem cannot be solved without well-balanced policy.
Second, since both France and England have been well aware of the crucial role the metropolitan area plays in global economy, they have been implementing institutional support systems. If an area, whether metropolitan or local, contains the international competitiveness, these governments actively support it. Both governments specially seek to implement the policy which can make better use of the economic size of the metropolitan area and the accumulation profit principle.
We have to revise our government’s metropolitan area policy in order not only to attain the well balanced regional development, but also to survive as a metropolitan city that contains the international competitiveness. The idea that ‘the strong regulation of one area does not lead to the development of other area’ is spreading. A systematic and ongoing support should be promulgated in stead of regulating and restraining metropolitan area concentration. The issue of metropolitan area needs to be handled in terms of the development and management of metropolitan area. The development and management policy is a kind of policy that controls the speed, content, and effect of development in terms of field, area, and time.
In the midst of rapid process of globalization and informationalization, the strategy for the specialization of local area is crucial. New local development strategy and national land management system, which is based on the support of the central government and the autonomy and creativity of the local government, should be established as soon as possible. Without a paradigm shift in policy, it is difficult to have balanced local development and the strengthening of the national competitiveness.