Lately, the need for well-balanced creation of the residential environment between residents’ selection of diverse residential types and their quality of life has been discussed positively, while the low-rise residential areas have been highlighted ...
Lately, the need for well-balanced creation of the residential environment between residents’ selection of diverse residential types and their quality of life has been discussed positively, while the low-rise residential areas have been highlighted as the candidates for the urban renewal projects. As a result, the utility of ‘the residential environment management project’ has been highlighted. Such projects aim to supply the infra, induce a balanced improvement of the residential environment and promote the circulation of the social values among the residents’ communities. Thus, the low-rise residential areas have been spotlighted not as the candidates for ‘an overall demolition and reconstruction’ but as those for ‘preservation and improvement’, and thus, diverse public and civil facilities have been created for them, while the poor houses have been improved on a full scale. Such an approach is deemed desirable in the aspect of continued improvement of the residential environment for the low-rise residential areas, but its limits have been spotlighted because it has impeded the spontaneous housing improvement in the domestic housing market pursuing the economic values, while having been led by the local autonomous administrations. Hence, the residential environment management projects need to be examined closely in view of ‘their sustainable operation and management’ and from the perspectives of ‘supply and improvement of the infras’ as well as in view of autonomous civil participation. This study aimed at analyzing the roles and characteristics of the residential environment management projects designed for the cyclic regeneration of the low-rise residential areas, focusing on their major results and characteristics by period. To this end, the researcher reviewed the concepts of the low-rise residential areas and the residential environment management projects, and thereby, examined the results of the major projects, and thereupon, analyzed the characteristics of the projects based on the results of such review and examination.
The results of this study can be summed up as follows; It was found that while the public projects for the residential improvement management had focused on the obsolete residential areas to supply the infras supporting them, they had been uniformly implemented regardless of their project conditions. Hence, the effects of the projects had been limited. In other words, the customized improvement management projects reflecting the characteristics of the candidate residential areas should be designed, while some projects need to be enforced regardless of residents’ opinions, if necessary. In case of the private projects, it is necessary to induce residents to improve their houses voluntarily through extensive deregulations, while the public sector supplies should be diversified depending upon housing types in parallel. Moreover, since the residential improvement management projects may still suffer from their intrinsic problems in the process of their implementations, it is deemed necessary for the relevant authorities to support them indirectly, not being engaged directly therein.
In terms of creating the public facilities for the residents, it was found that some public facilities of realistic scales had been created, reflecting residents’ needs. In contrast, their locations, their uses per story and residents’ participation in their plans had not sufficiently reflected residents’ opinions. So, it is deemed necessary to plan and program the public facilities by reflecting their potential users or the residents. Moreover, it is also deemed necessary to enhance their compatibility with their original goals. In case of their operations, the public facilities have been installed according to some reasonable procedures: review of them by the residents, decision on their free uses, maintenance of the core facilities, and arrangement of the management guidelines. Merely, since the operations of the public facilities have been much different among the areas, it is deemed essential to have them managed by a social cooperative or CRC. Additionally, in case of the poorly operated facilities, it is essential to authorize their managers to adjust their availability for some periods.
In terms of organizing the residents’ community, it was found that their conditions differed much among areas. To be more specific, the sustainability of the residents’ community operation has been affected directly by the various supports and the reinforcement of residents’ capacity. In case of residents’ high competence of autonomy, the residents’ community had been operated effectively and stably. In contrast, in case of residents’ poor autonomy, their community had been poorly managed, relying highly on the public supports. On the other hand, the Seoul metropolitan city and its autonomous districts had endeavored to help the residents’ communities operated well through the assistances of human resources and expenses. Thus, it was deemed necessary to promote the mutual cooperation between the public and private sectors by improving their financial competence and operating system.
The researcher reviewed the concepts of the low-rise residential areas and the Residential Environment Improvement Act and thereupon, examined the effects and functions of the residential environment improvement projects, while analyzing the major characteristics of the projects. It is perceived that this study would well help the project managers and their public supporters to design a sustainable residential environment improvement management project. Nevertheless, the study has the following limits; it could not well classify the residential environment improvement management projects; it could not well verify the effects of the projects quantitatively; it could also not well measure the effects of the residential environmental improvement management projects implemented by the civil sectors; it could not well examine the detailed process of the projects, developers’ capacity and their financial conditions.
Lastly, it is hoped that this study would be useful to future planning of the residential environmental improvement management projects because it has examined the physical, economic and social effects of the row-rise residential environmental improvement management projects in consideration of the directions of the projects and the needs of the times at the time when the residents-centered housing policy should continue to be designed and implemented.