Urban regeneration is a project of government with the intention to revitalize a dwindling city from physical, economical, and social perspectives and to improve the competitiveness of the city along with the quality of life of its residents through p...
Urban regeneration is a project of government with the intention to revitalize a dwindling city from physical, economical, and social perspectives and to improve the competitiveness of the city along with the quality of life of its residents through participation of the residents in the project and public supports. With the utilization of history, culture, and artistic resources of the city, promoted by urban regeneration, new spaces are created and generated. In terms of city image, public design facilities built in publically available spaces for urban regeneration to strengthen the competitiveness of the city are critical.
From the public’s perspective, public designs, reflecting the uniqueness and image of a city, create new attractions and bring out an identity of the city. They also raise the sense of attachment to the city in its residents and in turn, improve the quality of life while visitors have positive attitudes and make actions such as re-visitation toward the city due to its images shaped by public designs. In short, public designs allow the residents and visitors of a city to have positive images about the city and when they are all combined, the city will be re-born with a new image.
Due to the significance of public design in urban regeneration, there has been an increase in the attempts and research for integrating public design elements onto various fields such as space, culture, and community. However, those have been merely limited to the classification of properties of public design elements or the analysis of special features of public design elements. Therefore, this study is designed to seek for the public design elements necessary for creation of image of a city beyond simple improvement of its environment in order to enhance the quality of life for its community.
The findings of this study are as follows. First, this study derived its differentiation from the previous research through a literature review of studies on urban generation and public design. Second, evaluation factors for public design were derived through theoretical research. Third, with analysis of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) of experts, it derived the list of priorities for the evaluation of public design elements for public facilities subject to an urban regeneration project. Fourth, structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted along with the survey, designed based on the aforementioned evaluation factors for public design, on local residents and visitors to derive the factors that might have influences over the formation of image of a city and the attitudes of its residents and visitors. Lastly, upon these findings, it defined the elements of public design that could be possibly applied to an urban regeneration project.
From the analysis of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) of experts on the importance of public design elements that must be considered in an urban regeneration project, it was found that effectiveness is the most crucial and then, followed by convenience, regionality, aesthetics, public interest, and historicity in order.
For the next, from the research on public design elements and visitors’ behaviors, it revealed as follows. First, public design facilities are an element that allows visitors of a region to perceive the superiority of the region in terms of society, culture, and economy. As for the perceived image of a region, identity was found to be of high importance among public design elements. Also, public design facilities in an area subject to urban regeneration were found to shape an emotional image of the area, such as favorability and attractiveness of the area.
Second, factors of public design facilities such as convenience, safety, public interest, harmony with its environment, originality, attractiveness, reflection of regional features, and historical importance were found to play a significant role in raising the perceived value for the visitation of visitors to a region. Third, the analysis of factors of public design found that these factors enhance the image of a region and consequently, raise the perceived value for the visitation of its visitors. Such satisfactory experiences of visitors were found to have an influence on active word-of-mouth activities such as SNS and intention to visit the region.
Fron the findings of research on public design and residents, it could be concluded as follows. First, public design facilities help residents of underdeveloped areas to have a positive image about their residence. Second, the more positive the image of a region, its residents have the higher sense of settlement. In other words, a positive image of a city could enhance the pride and self-esteem of its residents for the city, their residence. Third, they were found to increase the residents’ place attachment and their participation in urban regeneration projects.
In summary, public design facilities have an influence over visitors of a region to shape and form the image of the region and they are a critical element for the evaluation of the perceived value of the region . Moreover, for visitors, such shaped image and perceived value of the region have an influence on the level of satisfaction of the visitation to the region, word of mouth activities, and re-visitation to the region. In addition, public design facilities in underdeveloped areas increase the sense of settlement in residents for their residential areas while strengthening their dependency and familiarity to residential areas. Meanwhile, hypotheses on place attachment and residents’ participation were both adopted and was revealed that place attachment of residents of the region subject to the urban regeneration project is a factor increasing the residents’ participation in regional development projects.