In South Korea, apartments account for approximately 65% of all housing units, establishing them as the dominant residential type. However, apartment complexes have faced ongoing criticism for intensifying urban spatial fragmentation and social divisi...
In South Korea, apartments account for approximately 65% of all housing units, establishing them as the dominant residential type. However, apartment complexes have faced ongoing criticism for intensifying urban spatial fragmentation and social division due to their enclosed spatial design. In response, the government and local authorities have promoted the development of “open-type complexes.” Yet, a persistent gap remains between policy intentions and actual usage patterns, underscoring the need for an objective and empirical assessment of apartment complexes' spatial openness. Existing studies have primarily focused on physical features—such as gates, fences, and other barriers—to evaluate openness. However, these approaches have limitations in that evaluations based solely on physical openness do not sufficiently reflect residents' actual spatial usage characteristics.
To address this gap, this study utilized cell phone-based “Metropolitan Area Mobility Data” collected over one month in June 2024. It empirically assessed the spatial openness of large apartment complexes in Seoul through observed mobility patterns, and analyzed how this openness relates to residents' urban usage patterns.
Specifically, the study conducted: 1) classification of urban activity patterns among residents of large apartment complexes and low-rise residential areas, 2) development and measurement of spatial openness indicators, and 3) comparison of neighborhood usage patterns according to openness levels, and 4) analysis of factors influencing openness.
The key findings are as follows:
First, residents of large apartment complexes exhibited polarized activity patterns, characterized by either metropolitan-scale or neighborhood-centered behavior, whereas residents of low-rise neighborhoods showed a more diverse distribution of activity types. Apartment residents engaged in longer-distance travel and occupied broader activity spaces, yet their neighborhood-scale behavior remained concentrated around their complexes, confirming the inward-oriented lifestyle characteristics of apartment complex residents. This finding demonstrates that residential type is one of the significant factors influencing residents’ urban activity range and patterns, providing empirical evidence of the internal-centric spatial usage tendencies.
Second, large apartment complexes in Seoul showed lower spatial openness and stronger internal orientation compared to low-rise areas, confirming their relatively closed nature. KDE analysis of activity spaces according to openness levels revealed that the openness of complexes affects urban activity patterns beyond their boundaries. Among high-openness complexes, residents’ activity spaces frequently overlapped with those of surrounding community members, whereas low-openness complexes demonstrated more spatially segregated patterns—indicating that physical disconnection within these complexes extends into the broader urban fabric. These results indicate that apartment complex openness influences urban spatial integration beyond mere physical accessibility, suggesting the importance of enhancing openness to foster sustainable urban communities.
Third, the analysis identified walkable area, road connectivity, pedestrian barrier elements, and daycare centers as major determinants of openness. Larger walkable areas significantly increased external visitor access, while community-oriented facilities such as daycare centers effectively enhanced openness. Conversely, public walkway installations promoted by ‘open-type complex’ policies showed limited effectiveness compared to policy expectations, although they demonstrated some positive influence on openness. These findings suggest the necessity for comprehensive consideration of pedestrian-friendly environments and community-oriented facility operations to enhance policy effectiveness. Specifically, there is a need for institutional improvements such as establishing continuous management and operational frameworks for public walkways, reviewing pedestrian-friendly design standards, and mandating open operations of community-linked facilities.
This study holds academic significance in presenting a data-driven approach to measuring spatial openness using large-scale mobility data, advancing beyond traditional physical element-based assessments. It also demonstrates the far-reaching influence of openness on urban spatial integration beyond apartment complex boundaries, offering empirical insights to inform the future design of residential environments and related policy interventions for strengthening urban community cohesion.