To enhance community engagement in public housing, it is essential to change the spatial structure itself, rather than merely adding facilities that people can walk to, stay in, and meet at.
Professor Kim Young-wook of Sejong University made this statement on September 18 during a seminar at the Ferum Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, where he presented on strategies for urban and residential area development based on spatial structure analysis to promote community activation.
He pointed out that the recurring issue of community activation in land development is more related to vehicle-centric designs and superblocks than to the presence or quality of individual facilities. "Ultimately, walkability is crucial," he said, emphasizing the need to observe where people tend to linger.
When spaces are segregated and designed around vehicles, it becomes difficult for people to move and meet naturally. Professor Kim explained that by analyzing actual pedestrian flow and adjusting block sizes, road layouts, and block shapes, community activation can be significantly improved.
He proposed three indicators to predict the level of spatial activation: integration (accessibility), choice (frequency of use), and spatial structure clarity (cognizability). Utilizing these indicators allows for the prediction of pedestrian flow, facility accessibility, and the degree of spatial activation, enabling quantitative comparisons of various design proposals.
Professor Kim also shared case studies of spatial structure analysis in the new town of Wangsil in Namyangju and Jinjup in Namyangju, explaining that analyzing pedestrian networks centered around stations can reveal concentrated movement paths.
In the case of Goyang 5 Complex, restructuring daily living routes resulted in an increase in community and external space activation from 76% to 86%, with average pedestrian activation rising by 1.5 to 2 times.
He stressed the need for objective verification of walkability from the urban planning and residential design stages. "There has been little interest in the walkability that has a real impact, and it has not been legislated," he said, advocating for the introduction of a system to objectively verify walkability performance during the district planning and design competition stages.
To achieve this, he suggested implementing a 'pre-walkability review' during the planning phase. This process would involve investigating and predicting pedestrian volume, changes in walking behavior, and safety impacts, while developing improvement plans to minimize issues.
During the seminar, discussions also focused on expanding community and care functions in public housing to address aging populations.
Kim Young-guk, a senior researcher at the Seoul Housing and Urban Development Corporation (SH), stated that public housing should serve as a hub supporting the continued residence of the elderly in their communities through a strategy for community service operation aimed at aging in place.
He explained that considering the aging population, the increase in single-person households, and the weakening of family care, a community care system that connects housing security, care services, social participation, service linkage, and sustainability is necessary.
Kim pointed out that the current elderly community in public housing often operates around senior centers, which tend to offer simple programs like meal provision and exercise. He proposed gradually expanding existing senior centers into well-aging centers or senior respite spaces, and utilizing small libraries and community meeting rooms as intergenerational exchange spaces.
"The important question is not where to provide care, but how to allow the elderly to comfortably stay in familiar areas for a long time," he said.
Finally, Park Seok-kyu, head of the urban research team at Incheon Urban Corporation (iH), introduced a housing model that fosters a community-friendly environment for both child-rearing families and the elderly in response to low birth rates and aging. He suggested implementing a cyclical housing model before elementary school enrollment and a vibrant housing model afterward, based on life stages.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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