This study aims to empirically examine how the servicescape of community facilities in rural areas of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province influences the sustainability of relationships among residents, and to analyze the dual mediating effects of ...
This study aims to empirically examine how the servicescape of community facilities in rural areas of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province influences the sustainability of relationships among residents, and to analyze the dual mediating effects of experiential value and sense of community in this process.
Rural community facilities are fundamental living infrastructures closely connected to residents’ daily lives, where physical and social environments directly affect interpersonal interaction, continuity of participation, and community formation. Despite this importance, prior servicescape research has largely focused on commercial spaces in urban areas or facilities with single functions, resulting in a relative lack of systematic analysis of rural community facilities.
In response, this study reflects the spatial and social particularities of rural contexts and seeks to comprehensively investigate how environmental characteristics of community facilities shape residents’ experiences and relationship formation.
To achieve this objective, the servicescape of rural community facilities was conceptualized into four sub-dimensions aesthetics, func tionality, spatiality, and accessibility.
The relationships among these dimensions and experiential value, sense of community, and relationship sustainability were empirically tested. The research sites were limited to culture and welfare-oriented rural community facilities located in towns and villages areas of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, developed through the Rural Center Revitalization Project and the Basic Living Hub Development Project under the General Rural Development Program.
Specifically, community facilities located in Boan-myeon (Buan-gun), Geumgu-myeon (Gimje-si), and Haeri-myeon (Gochang-gun) were selected. The survey targeted adult residents who had actual experience using these facilities and experiencing their servicescapes. A total of 80 questionnaires were distributed in each region, and the collected data were subjected to statistical analysis.
The results indicated that among the sub-dimensions of the rural community servicescape, aesthetics and accessibility exerted the strongest effects on experiential value and relationship sustainability.
This finding suggests that the aesthetic quality and ease of access of community facilities play a crucial role in fostering residents’ emotional satisfaction and positive experiences, which in turn lead to sustained relationships.
Experiential value and sense of community were also identified as significant mediators influencing relationship sustainability, and a statistically significant dual mediating effect was confirmed in which experiential value enhanced sense of community, subsequently leading to greater relationship sustainability.
This result implies that the physical environment of rural community facilities does not directly strengthen interpersonal relationships, but rather promotes relationship sustainability indirectly through emotional experiences and the formation of communal bonds.
In addition, neither age nor gender showed significant moderating effects on the relationship between the servicescape and relationship sustainability, nor on the relationship between sense of community and relationship sustainability.
This finding indicates that relationship maintenance and continued participation in rural communities are explained more strongly by experiential satisfaction and psychosocial bonds formed through spatial use than by demographic characteristics.
Overall, this study holds academic significance in that it empirically clarifies the structural pathways through which the servicescape of rural community facilities influences relationship sustainability via experiential value and sense of community.
Furthermore, by emphasizing the necessity of servicescape strategies that go beyond functional efficiency to promote residents’ emotional experiences and community participation, the study provides meaningful implications for policy development and practical decision-making aimed at revitalizing rural communities.