Understanding Contextualised Liveability from the Bottom Up: A Qualitative Analysis of the Participatory Planning Proposals in Daegu, South Korea

Abstract

This paper takes a qualitative approach to examining liveability by analysing the participatory planning proposals delivered by the local residents in Daegu, South Korea. Drawing on the textual resources of the proposals and interview data, the perceived liveability was found to vary across different neighbourhoods, and community cohesion and community capacity building were found highly valued in the liveability discourses in the Korean context. The paper argues that our understandings of liveability should be localised and contextualised at a sub-municipal level. It also highlights that participatory planning can be useful in articulating local communities’ perception and experiences of liveability of their immediate localities, particularly in the less attractive and less affluent neighbourhoods in the city.