Urban communal life and communities have become a central topic since the 2000s. In the face of urban decline and regeneration, not only the central government but also the local governments now realize the importance of local residents and communitie...
Urban communal life and communities have become a central topic since the 2000s. In the face of urban decline and regeneration, not only the central government but also the local governments now realize the importance of local residents and communities and seek to vitalize the communities with various policy measures. Residential Environment Management Program (REMP) of Seoul aims to preserve low-rise residential areas and restore communities in the urban environment along with the improvement of physical infrastructure. This research aims for a more accurate understanding of resident involvement in community activities with partial least squares structural equation modeling based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), particularly the influence of residents’ satisfaction level with the improved residential environment to their participation in Samdeok Town in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, an allegedly successful case of REMP.
Assuming that resident involvement in community activities and residential environment are correlated, the researcher employed TPB as the theoretical frame to study this relation. TPB focuses on the human behavior which is not completely in accordance with their behavioral intentions and thus includes perceived behavioral control as a determinant factor that affects both the intention and the actual behavior. Not only that, this theory allows for modifications and many additional factors have been added to build extended models in diverse research areas that deal with human behavior. In this study, satisfaction with the residential environment was added as an external variable that affect behavioral attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control, which then have influence on behavioral intention and the actual behavior. The researcher conducted a survey on site to construct a first-hand database for further analysis. Provided that the study is related to human behavior, it is necessary that the quantitative results be complemented with qualitative analysis. Hence, the researcher also collected qualitative data from participant observation on site to better interpret the results.
This research employs PLS-SEM, which is known to offer valid results with a smaller sample size. Regardless of the level of involvement required, subjective norm was the most influential determinant factor to the intention to participate. As to intention to participate in activities that require lower level of involvement, the influence of housing type (detached house) was significant; as to medium and higher level of involvement, perceived behavioral control and behavioral attitude, respectively, had significant influence on behavioral intention. To the actual behavior, however, satisfaction with the residential environment and socioeconomic characteristics also had significant influence. That is, the residents participated in community activities to improve unsatisfying residential environment and it is more likely for women with longer residence in the town to get involved in the community activities. This result validates the findings of existing literature that satisfaction with residential environment is negatively correlated with resident participation and the relationship known to exist between socioeconomic factors and participation.
PLS-SEM showed that the strongest factor that influences resident involvement is behavioral intention and that the intention is formed by diverse variables including satisfaction with the residential environment and socioeconomic factors. Satisfaction with the residential environment not only affects behavioral attitude but also subjective norm. In other words, satisfaction with residential environment affects the actual behavior through behavioral attitude, subjective norm and behavioral intention. In accordance with the results of multiple linear regression, sex and years of residence were included in the research model, and they have indirect influence on behavior through behavioral attitude and perceived behavioral control. Thus, this research’s extended TPB model serves as a valid theoretical frame to help better understand the determinants of resident involvement in community activities by analyzing the path from satisfaction with the residential environment to resident involvement. Among the factors of satisfaction with the residential environment, safety/transportation and neighborhood facilities significantly affected resident involvement in community activities.
In Samdeok Town, a small and highly cohesive resident community has been established and it is necessary that the residents and the public authorities cooperated for changes in policy to cut down on exhaustive procedures and to reduce dependency on application-based public budget for a sustainable community. In addition, public assistance for capacity building programs in communication and conflict management would bring about positive changes and opportunities for sustainability in areas similar to Samdeok Town.