The construction of the new-towns started with the establishment of five new-towns around Seoul metropolitan area the 1980s in order to provide solution to the growing overpopulation as well as the shortage of residential housings. Such projects have ...
The construction of the new-towns started with the establishment of five new-towns around Seoul metropolitan area the 1980s in order to provide solution to the growing overpopulation as well as the shortage of residential housings. Such projects have continued in the 2000s with constructions of a little over ten "second new-towns" and it is likely to expand in the future. The location of these new-towns is determined according to the availability of the estate; it can either be the adjacent area of the metropolitan city or of the "first" new-towns. This means that the people, who resided in the "first" new-towns as well as those who did not, come together to reside in the second new-towns. In this study, I differentiate those two kinds of residents in the second new-towns and try to distinguish the factors of relocations between them. The three "second new-towns," Dong-tan, Pan-gyo, Un-jung, which are the only areas whose 2010 census are available, are the subject of this study. I make following four arguments.
First, each second new-town shows a unique pattern of population flow in relation to its adjacent city as well as the geographical condition. In case of Dong-tan Newtown, because of its distance from other new-towns as well as of a couple of nearby cities with population of one million, the population flows of people moving in from adjacent cities is significantly larger than those from Seoul or "first" new-towns. Since it is located on south of the metropolitan area where the population overflows are severe, population flows from the adjacent cities are more dynamic than from "first" new-towns.
Pan-gyo Newtown, on the other hand, which is located next to both "first" new-towns and Seoul, is characterized by dynamic population movements from both areas. Because it is located near Bun-dang (the area becoming to be known as "quasi-Gangnam") and Gangnam, those better-off residents who yearn to live in more comfortable environment moved to Pan-gyo.
Un-jung is distinguishable from the other two new-towns in two ways; there is no major intervention with the surrounding area and Il-san, "first" new-town, is the only adjacent major city. Therefore the population flow is more vibrant from the cities located on the north-west side of the metropolitan area, including Paju, Goyang, as well as Il-san, than from Seoul or other nearby cities.
Second, it appeared that those who relocated to the second new-towns did so in demand for better housing conditions. Dong-tan Newtown seems to have absorbed a number of populations with its Natural environment and convenience in transportation. The natural environment and the infrastructure of transportation such as highways are the two factors that attracted people’s relocation to this city.
In case of Pan-gyo Newtown, it turned out that eco-friendliness of the city has contributed to the population inflow along with the above-mentioned factors. The area has been known for its environmental amenities which induced high satisfaction levels of the residents. It can be said that this owes to the general understanding that the better socio-economic conditions, the more environment-conscious people tend to become.
The people who moved to Un-jung Newtown, on the other hand, show stronger economic reasons for relocation along with the demand for better housing conditions. While the demands for better housing conditions formed significant factors for relocation, it appeared that relatively inexpensive housing cost in the area compared to the surrounding newly-constructed accommodations hugely effected their decisions to relocate.
Third, when categorized by the original residential areas, those who had lived in the "first" new-towns had different reasons for relocating from those who had lived in other areas. For those who had never lived in the new-towns showed particular interests in the level of convenience in transportation, on top of other factors such as better housing conditions, price, and the environment of the new constructions.
On the other hand, those who had lived in "first" new-towns tend to prioritize economic values of the estate, natural environment, as well as the living condition including the accessible facilities. Despite the similarities in demographic and socio-economic conditions such as age, academic backgrounds, occupations, and income, those who relocated from "first" new-towns look for different living conditions than those who relocated from other areas. The reasons for relocation differ in relations to whether they have the prior experience of living in the new-towns.
Fourth, when I looked at the original residential area and the characteristics of the households, for those who relocated from "first" new-towns showed statistical significance in income, life-cycle, whereas those who moved from other areas showed statistical significance in gender, occupation, and the condition of the contracts.
Among those who moved from the "first" new-towns, for the middle-class residents, the age of the children and the ensuring of the space were important factors, while for the upper-class residents, environmental factor was their first priority.
For those who relocated from other areas, the primary factor for the stay-at-home mothers was economic, and for those households which signed lease or have male corporate employees, the level of convenience in transportation was the most important factor. For those who signed a contract of subdivision, environmental factor was the most important.
Dong-tan, Pan-gyo, and Un-jung widened the metropolitan area through the construction of the new-towns with large-scale residential complex, and they each showed unique changes in population flows in accordance with the characteristics of the location. Also, the factors of relocation were different among the residents. This study analyzed the changes in the population flow that occurred with the construction of the second new-towns. In doing so, I categorized the residents based on their original residential areas as well as the features of their households. While the existing researches have focused only on the features of socio-economic conditions and households of the residents, this research paid special attention to where the residents of the second new-towns came from, an aspect that makes this study rather unique from the previous ones.