In the past 20 years in Seoul, South Korea, there have been continuous changes on deprived urban spaces, and now the urban trend that began with redevelopment is proceeding to regeneration. Especially, in recent times, a term "Gentrification" is gaini...
In the past 20 years in Seoul, South Korea, there have been continuous changes on deprived urban spaces, and now the urban trend that began with redevelopment is proceeding to regeneration. Especially, in recent times, a term "Gentrification" is gaining a massive social attention through media, such as news, internet, and newspapers. Gentrification in South Korea occurred in the following way. First, deprived and instinctive streets transformed into attractive streets by appending cultural elements, and it led to commercial vitalization. Because of vitalization, the average rent of the town increased exponentially, and the existing tenants who could not afford the rent had to leave the town. Then, franchise markets that could afford the high rent took places in vitalized streets. This is how gentrification occurs in South Korea, and, because both positive and negative impacts can be produced in the process of gentrification, many scholars are proceeding related researches regarding current circumstances. However, most researches are only covering subjects related to the trends of gentrification, changes in physical environment, and process of commercialization, and researches on resident, which is the most essential element in urban space, are not proceeded in this field. Consequently, this study attempted to put more emphasis on the residents living in the area than on the physical and commercial aspects, and, thus, this study is considered to be a significant research for continuous improvement of the area.
The purpose of this study is to reduce negative impacts of commercial gentrification on residents. To this end, first, it investigated general impacts of gentrification on the area. Then, it examined the elements that influence on the degree of satisfaction of residents, and, through factorial analysis, it verified the effects of gentrification on the study area.
The process of the research is as follows. First, it observed general impacts of commercial gentrification on the area and elements that affect the degree of satisfaction of residents through literature review. Second, it sorted gentrification areas in Seoul into 6 potential study areas, and then, by investigating the rate of change of restaurants and lodging businesses, it selected Yeonnam-dong and Itaewon 2-dong as the final study areas. After selecting study areas, it conducted time-series analysis on physical and non-physical impacts, using the existing impacts of gentrification. Then, to analyze the degree of satisfaction, it conducted a survey on residents who lived in the study areas for more than 5 years. Finally, based on the survey results, it operated paired t-test, analysis of frequency, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis.
As a result of the research, first of all, by using cross-section analysis, it could confirm drastic changes of multiple indicators that happened in a specific point of time. Number of general and resting restaurants increased rapidly, and, accordingly, number of building permission, deals, and official land values increased. Also, total population of the study areas had decreased, but, as the time passed, the study areas became known through various types of media, and floating population increased, which also shows the progress of commercialization in the study areas.
Second, this study explored for a change in the degree of satisfaction of residents using surveys. It was determined that the changes caused by commercial gentrification affected the degree of satisfaction. Among 18 elements, 15 elements were confirmed to be statically correlated, and, generally, the degree of satisfaction decreased from 'satisfying (3.64)' to 'average (2.90)'. Observing that 10 of 15 indicators increased and 4 indicators decreased, it suggests that the impact of gentrification is not just negative.
Third, as a result of factor analysis to identify the factors that affect the degree of satisfaction of residents, it appeared that 'comfortability', 'convenience', and 'accessibility' were the most influential factors. Detailed elements of comfortability are consisted of noise pollution, public order and crime prevention, walkability, attachment to the area, pedestrian stability, and cleanliness of the streets. For convenience, it is consisted of image of the town, living conditions of the residents, convenient uses of leisure facility, and uses of cultural facility. Finally, accessibility is consisted of use of personal automobile, convenient commuting, and parking spaces.