Gwangju Greenway Park can serve as a reference point for the initial state and future change prediction of linear parks that are continuously being built, such as Gyeongui Line, Gyeongchun Line, Mokpo, and Pohang, as it is the first linear park create...
Gwangju Greenway Park can serve as a reference point for the initial state and future change prediction of linear parks that are continuously being built, such as Gyeongui Line, Gyeongchun Line, Mokpo, and Pohang, as it is the first linear park created from an abandoned railroad site in Korea. The small parcels adjacent to the park boundary are likely to undergo gradual changes due to various interests such as expectations for development and concerns about gentrification. Therefore, the findings of this study can be utilized in exploring park operation and management strategies, as well as in park renovation and urban redevelopment.
Gwangju Greenway Park is a urban neighborhood park with an area of 120,227.6㎡ and an extension of 8.2km, which was created from 2003 to 2013 after the urban management plan was changed in 2002 following the closure of the Gyeongjeon Line downtown section in 2000. Despite generally unfavorable location conditions such as narrow width and geographical disconnection from the surrounding area, it serves as a greenway for exchanges, rest, walks, exercise spaces, and commuting for local residents as an urban green axis with a low park supply rate in Dong-gu and Nam-gu. In addition to park creation, various changes such as expansion and renovation due to urban maintenance or redevelopment, topographical changes due to new district units, and road openings are occurring in the surrounding areas that were previously old residential areas near the railroad. Given the narrow width of the linear park, it is closely intertwined with daily life, and various phenomena resembling occupation have emerged in the boundary spaces. While occupancy and personalization actions or shape changes within urban parks are strictly prohibited by law, these acts of occupation or personalization should be interpreted from the perspective of symbiotic urban spaces that
encompass private and public sectors, which are emphasized in urban revitalization, urban management planning, and park renovation.
The purpose of this study is to focus on these points and analyze the characteristics of different types of occupancy factors that lead to changes in park usage, economic expectations, and park transformations
caused by the boundaries of Gwangju Greenway Park, changes in land use and building activities in adjacent areas. The study aims to derive implications for exploring strategies for operating and managing linear urban parks, as well as for park renovation and urban redevelopment.
The main research findings are as follows :
(1) Land use regulations, such as district unit planning, can provide a basis for an environment that induces expectant occupancy and personalization behaviors among land and building owners.
(2) The boundary characteristics of linear parks were classified into three types through cluster analysis : change-driven type, gradual change type, and changeable type. In the "change-driven type" where a change from residential use to commercial use occurred, a significant number of fixed occupancy behaviors in the form of personalization were observed. Additionally, it was analyzed that flexible occupancy behaviors in the form of personalization increased, independent of the boundary characteristics, based on the park usage rate.
(3) Through survey analysis of surveys conducted with park users and park managers, it has been observed that citizens who use the parks tend to view occupancy and personalization behaviors as autonomous actions. Rather than perceiving them as inconveniences, they prioritize convenience in public spaces. This change in perception among citizens towards public spaces should be seen from a participatory perspective in urban regeneration, highlighting the need for institutional arrangements to resolve unnecessary social conflicts.
(4) While occupancy and personalization are legally prohibited acts, without proper institutional support, they can actually contribute to triggering such behaviors. Therefore, appropriate institutional improvements are required to accommodate the hybridization of public and private activities in park operation, management, renovation, and maintenance, and to alleviate unnecessary social conflicts.