The Awareness of Tradition and Environmentally Friendly Elements in Traditional Villages near the Center of Gangneung, Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to look into the awareness and environmentally friendly elements reflected in traditional villages in Gangneung, Korea. This study was conducted through a field study on traditional villages as well as interviews and questionnaire with experts in urban architecture and with village residents. The environmentally friendly elements of traditional villages are classified into the traditional environment, building environment, street environment and living environment. Among them, the traditional environment itself is considered as an element favorable to the ecological environment. The villages on the outskirts of the city center show ecologically damaging features, since land prices there are relatively low and the number of warehouses is growing due to their proximity to the city center. As the street environment tends to be evaluated from a public viewpoint, it is viewed as ecologically detrimental when it is not properly managed or harmonized, regardless of its being natural or traditional. The most serious problem in the living environment is waste disposal. Based on the village residents′ perception of modernity, the residents of Yeochan-ri, where neighboring welfare facilities are focused, value conservation more than development, while their counterparts in Unjeong-dong, which has various tourist attractions, opt for development. Furthermore, the residents who realize their villages are friendly to the environment are trying to address the problem of waste disposal in a relatively greener way.