This study aims to reinterpret building boundary spaces in commercial districts as part of the everyday pedestrian environment and to propose revitalization strategies based on site conditions. In dense commercial areas, spaces along building edges, s...
This study aims to reinterpret building boundary spaces in commercial districts as part of the everyday pedestrian environment and to propose revitalization strategies based on site conditions. In dense commercial areas, spaces along building edges, side gaps between buildings, publicly accessible open spaces, public pedestrian paths, and closed private boundary areas are often treated as ancillary or residual spaces. In actual use, however, these spaces are closely related to pedestrian movement, shop access, short-term stays, street visibility, conflicts with parking and service facilities, and the maintenance of commercial streets.
Sangnam-dong in Changwon City was selected as the main research area because buildings, lots, sidewalks, parking areas, markets, transit stops, and back streets are closely connected within a compact commercial district. The research framework, developed through theoretical review and case studies, was organized into three stages: spatial configuration, potential for pedestrian connectivity, and applicability for revitalization. Field investigation covered five external building boundary spaces and two supplementary internal passage spaces. Seven field operation indicators were used in the analysis: form, function, perception, visibility, continuity, short-stay potential, and manageability. These indicators were classified into spatial characteristics and field operating conditions for explanatory purposes, but they were applied as equivalent criteria in the analysis. The research methods included field observation, photographic records, OX checklists, pedestrian flow counts, a QGIS-based shortest-path review, and an expert survey of 20 respondents.
The results show that the potential for revitalizing boundary spaces should be interpreted not only through physical openness or walking-distance reduction but also through field operating conditions. In the QGIS-based review, the five external boundary spaces showed only a limited average distance reduction, whereas the two internal passage spaces showed a relatively larger numerical effect. However, field observation confirmed that actual use was more strongly influenced by entrance legibility, continuity of walking surfaces, control of obstacles and service facilities, potential for short-term stays, and clear maintenance responsibility. The expert survey also indicated that boundary spaces were more likely to function as everyday pedestrian and short-stay interfaces when operating conditions and management standards were secured.
Based on these findings, this study proposes five revitalization types: frontage rest type, adjacent commercial linkage type, green pedestrian type, alley linkage type, and agreement-based opening type. These types respond to different site conditions, including resting functions and commercial access along building frontages, linkage with adjacent commercial areas, recovery of green pedestrian environments, connection with alleys and back-street commercial areas, and gradual opening of closed private spaces through agreement. The study also suggests common operating standards, selection and management checklists, performance monitoring, public-private agreements, maintenance responsibility, and support measures such as lighting, signage, screening of service facilities, planting, cleaning, and safety facilities.
The contribution of this study is to reposition small building boundary spaces in commercial districts as manageable urban interfaces rather than residual spaces. By linking field conditions, pedestrian connectivity, expert evaluation, institutional improvement, and site-specific spatial strategies, the study offers a practical framework for improving pedestrian environments and supporting adjacent commercial areas in medium-sized cities.