This thesis has its foundation on the theory of the new regional geography and socio-spatial relationship. Above all, this thesis makes presumption that spatial policy of the State has significant influence on the structures of a region and individual...
This thesis has its foundation on the theory of the new regional geography and socio-spatial relationship. Above all, this thesis makes presumption that spatial policy of the State has significant influence on the structures of a region and individual social spaces. This thesis studies in detail the social spaces of regional community in Seongnam city that have two regional structures, thereby discovering how the class distinction in a community ceaselessly affects the restructuring of a region. Also, based on the idea that a space is usually constructed socially, and, simultaneously, a society life and examines the structures of social life in a specific context of social relationship and time.
The case research region is seongnam city, bearing spatial differentiation through two "new-town developments" carried out at different points in time. The method is based on "the "bottom up" approach" looking into concreate social life of agents(women) and their biographies(life paths), place identities, daily life space, and consumption cultural space at the scale of seongnam city. For such purpose, questionnaire and interview surveys were conducted on women who have children attending elementary, middle, and or high schools. This paper attempts to explain the unique and dynamic process of a region where the activities of agents ceaselessly change in accordance with local historical circumstances and the time. That is, the differential becoming of a place, and, in particular, the transformation of the city of Seongnam.
This paper consists of four parts. The first part reviews the main idea of new regional geography and socio-spatial relationship. The second part analyzes the dynamics, and the temporal-spatial attributes of seongnam city. The third part deals with differential becoming of a region through housewives, and the last part looks into the spatial practices of housewives. The results of this paper are summarized in the following paragraphs.
First, the idea of the new regional geography and the socio-spatial relationship should be applied. Such approach is required to understand the differential becoming and transformation of Seongnam city.
Second, Seongnam city has two built-in and differentiated areas created through the two "new-town developments;" the first of which began in 1968, and the second development 20 years later. It is not only the differing process and circumstance, but also the contrasting transformational mechanism centered on demography, housing, industry, and transportation factors which created differentiated built-in environment.
Third, the two places, geographically isolated, have come to bear different images. Into each of the two places, a people of different class income, education, and profession wise have migrated. The populace of the formerly constructed town(Sujung-gu, Jungwon-gu) consists of people who are relatively worse off, with low income and poor education, falling into the blue collar category. On the other hand, the people of newly designed town(Pundang-gu), being mostly white collar workers, are relatively better off with high income and good educational background. Each place-identity which is examined through feelings for place, residential satisfaction, and regional participation have also shown distinction. That is, the housewives of the formerly constructed town are unconcerned, passive, and wish to leave the city if an opportunity be given. In a vivid contrast, those of the newly designed town are positive, have self-esteem, active, and wish to continue residing in the town. As for the administrative and psychological link between the formerly constructed town and the newly designed town, housewives of the formerly constructed town do not wish for any disconnection, whereas those of the newly designed town exhibit clear behavior advocating the severance of existing ties.
Finally, daily life and consumption cultural space of unemployed housewives are analyzed through dynamic map and time-budget graph as follows:
Unemployed housewives of newly designed town, having high level of income and education, spend much of their time enjoying leisure activities, and are quite enthusiastic when it comes to their childrens education. On the other hand, unemployed housewives of the formerly constructed town, with low level of income and education, work part-time; thus having less time for private leisure, but maintains close relationship with their neighborhood.
In the end the characteristics of daily life and space give birth to couple of facilities of consumption cultural space. Therefore the buying activities and leisure activities in consumption cultural space are analysed as follows :
Buying Activities
(1) The distinction between the formerly constructed town and newly designed town exists, and the difference in economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital can be found.
(2) In selection of shopping places, the formerly constructed town housewives were found to be price sensitive; whereas, newly designed town housewives were more quality conscious, reflecting the gap between the characteristics of two groups economic capitals.
(3) To collect information and make decisions, newly designed town housewives rely heavily on printed materials and media. On the contrary, their counterparts in the formerly constructed town count on their neighbors as the source of information. This clearly is a reflection of their differing lifestyles - the formerly constructed town's close relationship with neighbors, and high rate of newspaper subscription in newly designed town.
(4) Characteristics of buying behavior also shows difference. Spatial choice and movement has occurred in the formerly constructed town, such that resident housewives of the area are showing increased tendency towards making purchases in the newly designed town, especially with regards to costly durable goods. On the contrary, in the newly designed town, place choice and movement is taking place within the town. Housewives of newly designed town tend to make choices among different sub-districts of newly designed town. That is, the formerly constructed town housewives have tendency of 'nearness', the newly designed town housewives have tendency of 'distinction'.
Leisure Activities
(1) Housewives of the newly designed town possess positive attitude and feel that they deserve to have leisure in the life. Unlike their counterparts, housewives of the formerly constructed town are passive and do have the feeling that they are not able to afford the luxury of leisure in their life.
(2) Having observed the relationship between space and society through the leisure activities of housewives, those in the formerly constructed town engage in in-house leisure activities, shaping their locale (the formerly constructed town : Seongnam) as their work site. Housewives of the newly designed town, just the opposite, were found to mainly take part in commercialized self developing leisure activities outside the family boundary, thereby making it a consumption locale(the newly designed town : Bundang)
This thesis attempted to prove the vivid site of life in the context of social and spatial relationship, by looking at the mechanism and process centered on the role of the State policy, and spatial practices of agents -- i.e., women in the city of Seongnam: a region which has gone through unique historical process of continuous transformation and generation, and which retains the spatial scale of a small community. As a result, and coupled with its geographic attribute of being situated in the periphery of a large city: Seoul; Seongnam city has acquired a differentiated spatial structure and a substructure through the spatial policy of the State, deriving a very different characteristics for its local residents or agents as well. This, in turn, conferred a unique characteristic upon the social relationship and the space of a location called seongnam city. Above all, differences were also observed in the socio-economic features, place-identity, and the life of women whose place of residence represents the daily life and consumption dultural spaces. Also, differences were observed in their spatial activities in the concrete spheres of life - buying and leisure time activities. Such phenomena resulted in the formerly constructed town being reproduced as a place for low class people, and a production locale, where full-time and part-time works of women take place; and newly designed town as a place of residence for the upper middle and above classes, a sub-housing market, and a consumption locale, where shopping and leisure time activities for housewives take place. In the end, all those were exposed through the spatial activities of discrimination and intimacy gaining efforts between the two places. Accordingly, as long as two regional communities exist within a single administrative district, many policy problems, including spatial and social relationship, come to surface. There must be a sincere consideration among the policy decisioners of the State and the local government!