Most urban renewal projects attempt to give sufficient consideration to the unique cultural and historical assets of the region in their attempts to revitalize decaying cities. Municipalities in different regions have carried out public design project...
Most urban renewal projects attempt to give sufficient consideration to the unique cultural and historical assets of the region in their attempts to revitalize decaying cities. Municipalities in different regions have carried out public design projects with the goal of improving the value of their region and differentiating its image. But most such projects face limitations, as they compromise regional features by simply imitating successful cases, and are focused only on improving the landscape and facilities including signboards. Furthermore, the top-down, government-led approach to such projects tends to restrict not only the participation of the residents but also the reflection of their feedback, which inevitably leads to a low level of satisfaction among residents. There has not yet been sufficient research conducted on how to properly achieve public design planning and promote subsequent schemes, which tend to encompass complex elements including landscape improvement, revitalization of the region and urban renewal.
The purpose of this study is to identify the problems and weaknesses of existing public design projects and identify ways to revitalize projects for urban renewal by analyzing the current status of the projects implemented along the streets in cities, and examining the satisfaction level of those people exposed to the outcome of such projects.
With this purpose in mind, related theories and preceding studies were reviewed first and then the current status of the public design project was assessed by selecting four projects involving old downtown streets that had been the center of commercial activities in Suwon. At the same time, a survey of 406 residents and visitors in those areas was conducted in order to find out what they thought about the functionality, aesthetic value and creativity of the public designs to which they were exposed, and then identify the elements that can satisfy them. These processes allowed us to understand the problems of public design projects, and determine the planning elements required for successful public design projects.
The findings of the current status analysis and survey are summarized as follows:
First, the aim of the Suwon Public Design Project was to improve the landscape so that the old downtown could be revitalized. However, the public project was too highly focused on the private sector. Enhancement of building facades and signboards accounted for about 67% of the activities of the project, and the improvement of public architecture was not even included in the project scope.
Second, there was lack of participation in the project by the residents. With the exception of the street along the Geobuk Market, whose development was executed based on the landscape agreement proposed by the residents, all of the other three places saw its project implemented in a traditional top-down approach. Not enough feedback from the residents was reflected in the process of selecting design options, and no education was offered to them in order to enhance their understanding of the project.
Third, the design target and key words were the same across the four streets, even though the scales and features of stores along the streets and contents differed. The average height of the buildings along the 4 streets was about the same, along with the average number of signboards and colors of landscape, which meant that there were no differentiations by region. When it comes to the design approach of the signboards, the styles of type used on signboards were unified while the sizes were restricted, making it hard to represent the unique features of each store.
Fourth, there was no unique design developed, which blurred the local identity of each region. As there was little difference in terms of the landscape along the different streets, there was a low level of recognition of the public design projects that had been implemented. Designs and contents lacking local features were identified as areas requiring improvement based on the opinions of the participants.
Based on the findings above, the following suggestions are made in order to turn the public design into a valid means to revitalize or renew urban streets.
First, the main players in the public and private sectors should be distinguished before writing a project plan. The survey found that there were strong complaints related to the signboards and facades of buildings, which were forced to be unified even though they belonged to the private business sector. While integrated planning and a specific set of rules are suggested, the freedom of businesses in the private sector should be protected. In addition, consistent consulting needs to be provided in order to listen to the merchants and coordinate the planning based on their requirements.
Second, education should be provided in order to encourage the participation of residents. Residents need to be educated on the implications of public design, its practical values and how to implement them. Once a detailed plan is devised for a project, further education of the residents needs to be provided so that they can actively participate in the project.
Third, the goals of the public design need to be established along with the optimal scope of the project and design strategies. To this end, target images that can reflect local features need to be determined, along with the scope of implementation and design codes.
Fourth, the uniformity and individualism of the facilities along the street need to be identified. These should in turn be integrated into and harmonized with the overall urban landscape. The character and unique image of the city can be delivered by applying special, individual designs only to the landmark street of the region.
Last but not the least, the contents should be developed in line with upgraded exterior. These include changing the types of business that stores run, introducing new businesses or developing programs. Individual features should be applied to the streets based on the special characteristics of the streets, including their history and culture.
This research examined the public design of the commercial areas and conducted a survey of the major players in relation to their recognition and understanding of the project. Based on this research, possible ways to improve public design are suggested so that public design can be used as a valid tool to renew urban streets. However, this research has the limitation of focusing on commercial centers of the old downtown of a specific city in the metropolitan area and its landscape projects. In further research, it would be necessary to perform an in-depth comparison and assessment by distinguishing the urban from the non-urban areas and choosing cities and regions of various sizes and features as study objects.