The Direction for a Sustainable Residential Environment Plan based on Resident Testimonies about the Use of the 'Streets in the Sky' of the Park Hill Flats in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This study aims at proposing a sound and sustainable development direction of an residential environment by analyzing testimonies of residents who lived in Park Hill flats or their surround at Sheffield City in the United Kingdom. The results are obtained through the analysis on a residential environment of Park Hill flats, opinions of the residents on its refurbishment, and effects of the building on the residential environment. The block of Park Hill flats was a community with a strong unity and solidarity, but that became increasingly a slum by the decline of the physical and social environment since the 1980s. In particular, it was identified that the deterioration of the social environment than that of the physical environment was a major cause of the decline. Nevertheless, it was found that "streets in the sky", the concept applied in Park Hill, played a key role in activating the community in the apartment complex. However, that street system in the complex has caused noise, poor security, and invasion of privacy. If such problems are solved, the streets in the sky will be a meaningful alternative for community activation and then ensuring sustainability in Korean residential environments that lost the function of the community.