Abstract

Real estate business law and social housing law are closely connected in pursuing social welfare and sustainable urban development. The central regulatory challenge is to require commercial real estate developers to contribute to social housing while preserving investment incentives. Using comparative legal research, this article examines South Korea’s “incentive zoning” mechanism, which exchanges planning benefits for contributions to housing supply and social welfare infrastructure in urban redevelopment projects. It assesses the development, adjustment, and limitations of the requirement that commercial real estate projects allocate 20% of their land area for social housing under the 2023 Law on Housing, the 2023 Law on Real Estate Business, and implementing regulations. Based on gaps in the current framework and practical challenges, the article proposes a “benefit-sharing” mechanism, diversified compliance methods, and stronger monitoring and supervision to promote social housing development more feasibly, effectively, and sustainably.

Keywords: Commercial real estate projects, incentive zoning, investors, social housing, urban redevelopment.