Networks among local residents and housing developments in Korea

Abstract

Recently, the paradigm of urban development in Korea has shifted from new-town development to urban renewal. Because housing redevelopment, a type of urban renewal, is conducted by unions that consist of local residents rather than experts, knowing the origins of residents’ opinions is important. Several studies have covered the decision-making factors of local residents, but their analyses were only based on demographics or economic backgrounds. Many decisions are made through subjective situational awareness rather than objective reasoning, however, so the key factor of decision making is not ‘who s/he is’ but ‘whom s/he connects with’. In this view; this paper analyses how networks among local residents affect decision making by using social network analysis (SNA). The results indicate significant differences in decision making by location in the networks, showing the value of network approaches in housing redevelopment.