A Study on Classification of Downtown Areas Based on Small and Medium Cities in Korea
The purpose of this research is to analyze the deterioration of small-to-medium cities and their downtowns, and classify the types of decline. One of this study’s features, therefore, is the categorization of the pattern of urban growth, with an accurate
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A Study on Classification of Downtown Areas Based on Small and Medium Cities in Korea Bum-hyun Lee
Abstract The purpose of this research is to analyze the deterioration of small-tomedium cities and their downtowns, and classify the types of decline. One of this study’s features, therefore, is the categorization of the pattern of urban growth, with an accurate demarcation of the downtown area. Another feature is the priority order of the urban regeneration policies to be implemented by the central and local governments, arrived at by analyzing the characteristic indexes. The results of the categorization of the case cities will be used as source materials for urban regeneration projects spearheaded by the local government. The categories—regionalwide, citywide, and downtown-wide approach types—will help decide the priority order of the urban regeneration policies of the central government. Keywords Urban regeneration • Downtown • Small and medium cities in Korea • Classification of downtowns
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Introduction Research Background and Purpose
“Downtown”1 is the urban core area where the commercial, business, and production functions are concentrated. The growth and decline of downtowns have a direct influence on urban development and suburban areas. Recently, 1
Downtown is the center of rural areas located outside the city and serves as a nexus of the local transportation network. It also plays a role in separating urban areas from rural areas (Christaller 1933). B.-h. Lee (*) Green Territory & Urban Research Division, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement, 254 Simin-daero, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 431-712, South Korea e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] M. Kawakami et al. (eds.), Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development: Approaches for Achieving Sustainable Urban Form in Asian Cities, Strategies for Sustainability, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5922-0_3, # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
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B.-h. Lee
however, the population and urban functional decline of downtowns is becoming a serious problem. In particular, downtowns of small- and middle-scale cities in Korea have lost their competitiveness; compared with downtowns of metropolitan cities, their decline is much worse. Thus, a diagnostic analysis of the downtowns of small- and medium-size cities in Korea should be carried out, considering the changes in industrial bases and urban population. This analytic approach can help urban planners and designers interpret the decline patterns occurring in Korea’s small- and medium-scale cities and devise ways of encouraging downtown infill redevelopment and revitalization. The most important step in gauging the extent of downtown decline is the selection of proper diagnostic indicators and interpretation of analytic results. The results may vary according to the indicators and analytic methods applied. Furthermore, downtown decline can be induced by inherited and external factors. Finally, the spatial scope of downtown decline depends on its spatial hierarchy within urb
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