This study examined the policy conditions existing on the ground during the closing phase of the recent Urban Regeneration New Deal in Korea. A qualitative research approach, including participatory observation and in-depth interviews, was used to ana...
This study examined the policy conditions existing on the ground during the closing phase of the recent Urban Regeneration New Deal in Korea. A qualitative research approach, including participatory observation and in-depth interviews, was used to analyze the governance system, its planning and performance, and the attitude of the participants at a case site. Six ethnographic focuses were found from which observations were categorized and viewed. The results showed that a nonconsensual hardware plan, mostly led by a local authority, was discredited for unfairness and became the cause of interruption and suspension of governance. The regeneration center was not as independent and arbitrative as it was meant to be. The residents are opposed to penetration by outsiders and unpleasant public facilities, thereby continuously coming in conflict with the local authorities. Due to these obstructions, the regeneration plan was changed to a more ambiguous and less public one. However, the regeneration policy is too nominal, typical, and does not consider the reality on the ground; thus, it needs to be reformed. Various sociocultural disadvantages of decaying areas should be considered and detailed measures must be developed to ensure a more realistic and effective urban regeneration policy.