Korea’s walkability Law and policies. A case study on the central government's ruling role in the enhancement of the pedestrian urban environment

국문 초록 (Abstract)

보행성(walkability)라는 개념에는 여러 해석 방법이 있다. 그 이론적 배경은 매우 명료하며, 도시의 활성화에 주는 수많은 혜택을 담고 있다. 그러나 이 주제와 관련된 문헌을 보면 대중교통과의 자연적 관계로서, 또는 대중교통 그 자체로서, 보행자 환경의 개선에 대한 포괄적 지원에 대한 중앙정부의 소극적 역할과 관련된 우려가 있음을 알 수 있다.
본 연구에서는 한국의 사례를 들어 정부가 도시의 교통수단으로서 걷기 증진에 어떻게 기여했는지 검토한다. 철저한 문헌 검토로 구성된 연구를 통해 도시 내의 보행성 증진을 위한 요인을 밝히고, 대한민국의 사례연구를 통해 종국적으로 개발하는 보행자 환경의 관리 문제에 있어서 기존 연구의 격차를 분석한다. 이로써 정부차원에서 수립한 관련 규정 및 국가계획의 체계, 국내법 등을 검토하여 이 요인들이 보행자 환경의 향상을 위한 지자체와 시민단체의 활동을 어떻게 뒷받침해 주는지 파악한다.
중앙정부는 지자체 및 시민단체가 보행자 환경 증진을 위한 메커니즘을 작동시키고, 더 안전하고 더 지속가능한 도시를 만들고 보행자 권리를 위한 법적, 규제적 시스템을 수립할 책임을 다할 수 있도록 일관된 지원을 해야 한다.


주요어: 보행자 요인, 보행자 환경, 보행자 환경 관리, 중앙 정부, 한국의 보행성 관련 법과 정책

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

There are several approaches to the concept of walkability. The theoretical background is conspicuous and includes a wide content from its benefits for people's health to the role it plays in the vitality of cities, however, throughout the study of the literature corresponding to the subject, there is a latent concern related to the passive role of the central government in the development of a pertinent regulatory and planning framework that allows providing comprehensive support to the improvement of the pedestrian environment as a natural link with public transport systems and as a means of transport per se.
This research examines through the case study of South Korea, how the government can play its supporting role in the promotion of walking as a transport means in cities. The research methodology consisted of conducting an exhaustive literature review to determine the factors that enable walkability in cities, also to groundwork the existent research gap in matters of governance of the pedestrian environment to finally develop the case study of South Korea, stating a background, and analyzing the regulatory and planning framework enacted in the national government sphere to find out the aspects that are backed up by the Korean law in sustenance to local government and civil initiatives for pedestrian environment enhancement.
The findings confirm that the walking environment is consistently entitled to receive support from the central governments which together with local authorities and civil participation would play an equally responsible role in the process of creating legal enabling mechanisms for the promotion of the pedestrian environment enhancement and the achievement of safer and sustainable cities articulating the regulatory and planning framework for pedestrian right of way nationwide.

Keywords: Walkability factors, pedestrian environment, Pedestrian environment governance, Central Government, Korea´s walkability law and policies

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 1. INTRODUCTION 1
• 1.1 Background 1
• 1.2 The current condition of walking in the urban environment 4
• 1.3 Statement of the Problem 8
• 1.4 Research Objective 9
• 1.5 Research questions: 9
• Sub-Questions: 9
• 1.6 Scope of the research 10
• 1.7 Significance of the research 11
• 1.8 Organization of the thesis 11
• 1.9 Theoretical framework 13
• 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 14
• 2.1 Walkability, concept, and Factors 14
• 2.1.1 Urban Settlements design Characteristics. (Built Environment factors and perception factors) 16
• 2.1.2 Road Safety, Transport infrastructure design 20
• 2.2 Walkability as transport means, the need for Suitable Governance System, Planning Framework 23
• 3. METHODOLOGY 28
• 3.1 CASE STUDY 28
• 3.1.1 Introduction 28
• 3.1.2 South Korea's pedestrian environment context before transport policy redirection. 30
• 3.1.3 South Korea's pedestrian environment context before transport policy redirection. Civilian Role in the introduction of pedestrian rights 31
• 3.1.4 South Korea's pedestrian environment context after transport policy redirection. Activation of national action on pedestrian safety in Korea. 34
• 3.1.5 South Korea Pedestrian Environment governance system. 40
• 3.2 Research Design 44
• 4. ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS 45
• 4.1 Governance diagnosis methodology ECLAC 47
• 4.1.1 Who governs 47
• 4.1.2 What is governed 47
• 4.1.3 How it is governed 49
• 4.1.4 Walkability enabling factors supported in the Korean Central Government law. 50
• 4.1.5 Walkability and Land use patterns correlation. 54
• 4.2 Pedestrian priority Projects led by the Korean National Government 57
• 5. CONCLUSIONS 59
• 5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS 61
• 5.2 FURTHER RESEARCH AREAS 62
• REFERENCES 63
• 초록 68
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 70