In order to reform the socio-economically unreasonable or segregated local administration, 45 urban-rural cities were created from 1995 to 1996. Under such circumstances, this study was aimed at analyze the changes of the land uses in such urban-rural...
In order to reform the socio-economically unreasonable or segregated local administration, 45 urban-rural cities were created from 1995 to 1996. Under such circumstances, this study was aimed at analyze the changes of the land uses in such urban-rural cities. To this end, Gangneuung city which was integrated into an urban-rural city in 1995 was sampled. The results of this study can be summarized as follows;
First, when the land uses were reviewed by dividing the city into former urban and rural areas, it was found that the land uses had been increased in both areas. In addition, the land uses for other purposes than urban ones were decreased in both areas. In particular, such land uses were more decreased in the former rural area than the former urban area. Such findings suggest that the former rural area was more developed for urban purposes than rural ones after integration of both areas.
Second, as a result of analyzing the land uses by dividing the areas into administrative districts, it was found that urbanization has been underway rapidly in such districts as Kyo-dong, Kangnam-dong and a former rural area Jumunjin-eup; in these districts, large-scale housing sites and apartment housing complexes have been developed. In contrast, the land uses in Ponam-dong where active developments had been underway before the integration were reduced after the integration.
Third, in most of the former rural districts except Jumunjin-eup, land uses remain almost unchanged, which explains that land uses do not tend to be changes without any special external effects, for example, housing site developments or central or local governments' (Gangwon-do and Gangneung-si) new land use programs.
As a result of analyzing the changes of land uses after integration of urban and rural areas, it was found that land uses were changed, although slightly, in the former urban area, while land uses remained almost unchanged in the former rural area except for Jumunjin-eup. Such a finding suggests that the large-scale integration of urban and rural areas in an effort to reform the conventional dual urban administration has resulted in urbanization of the underdeveloped and alienated rural areas, but that the urban blocks have been extended outwards only and therefore, that land uses in the former rural areas remain almost unchanged.
The goal of urban-rural integration areas lies in a mutually reliant balanced development between urban and rural areas. This study aimed to suggest some institutional policy alternatives for the new integrated cities in response to the tendency of expanding administrative jurisdiction. Such policy alternatives may be suggested as follows;
First, the rural areas should be open to urban citizens, and to this end, it is necessary to link the downtown with peripheral centers and villages in terms of facilities and infra services to create a genuinely integrated living sphere, and thereby, construct the facilities and services for each district. In addition, it is also necessary to enhance the accessibility to downtowns and metropolitan cities by networking the road system for both urban and rural areas and expanding the information and communication networks in the region.
Second, it may be important to induce the capital from cities to rural areas, but it must be more important to construct a groundwork for utilization of the regional resources. For example, it is essential to promote an environmental-friendly agriculture for citizens' changing tastes, and to this end, it is necessary to develop a localized or mutually dependent agriculture the products of which can be consumed by the citizens in the region.
Third, it is desirable to preserve the most important advantages of the rural areas such as clean eco-system and panoramic landscape and in this vein, plan and redevelop the rural areas for citizens' recreational destinations in an environmental-friendly and systematic way.