Abstract
In urban regeneration, resident participation and respect of residents' need have become a major important issue. The purpose of this study is to identify residential area improvement characteristics expected by local residents. Data used for this study were collected from survey which used questionnaire and village image map construction tool kit, developed for facilitating the residents' participation in an actual housing improvement area at Kwngjoo, Korea. The major contents surveyed through questionnaire were first, future images of the area second, directions of improvement third, preferred architectural types such as high or low rise buildings. and a total of 335 data was collected within 4 days during 12-14 December, 2008. The kit was used by parents of students at a local elementary school, and 205 image maps were collected. Content analysis was to analyse characteristics of villages shown in the constructed image maps. Lynch's five elements were utilized to select areas for analysis. As a result, types of buildings desired by residents at the selected four local areas were identified. In general, residents desired their village to be improved with low and mid rise buildings, respecting existing cultural assets. This study showed that there is certain characteristics in relation to the selected areas. Besides, the tool kit used this study showed the effectiveness in collecting opinions from young households in the improvement area within a short time. The tool is expected to be useful in attracting residents and in facilitating participation of wide range of local residents by improving the constraints stemming from time and space.
