Five Steps for sustainable culture-led urban regeneration
Urban regeneration can be led by culture. This often also results in an urban identity that paves the way for a sustainable lasting development. Kyu Hong Hwang analysis three examples from Korea in the article “Finding Urban Identity through Culture-led Urban Regeneration”. It concludes with a five-phase model for other such projects. The paper was originally published in the Journal of Urban Management 2014 but holds such universal value especially for museums located in industrial or former urbanized areas that we are sharing it with you. It also relates to IATM’s 49th Conference in Belfast.
What drives sustainable urban regeneration?
Hwang’s thesis suggests that a city experiencing decline cannot maintain sustainable development without the type of urban identity consolidated by culture-led urban regeneration. Thus, urban regeneration should consider the local community. This can foster or restore “social pride, revive the local economy, and realize an urban identity.”
The theoretical base for culture-led urban regeneration
In the first part, the paper examines urban decline. Aiming to understand the necessities and characteristics or types of (culture-led) urban regeneration. With a particular focus on how it can lead to a socio-economic revival and urban identity.
While the second part gets more practical. It looks at three case studies from Korea.
- Jenjou Hanok Village, “which changed from a twilight zone to a tourist attraction.”
- Chang-dong Art Village, which recovered from an area of decline that used to be an artist hub “in the 1970s to become a new artist village.”
- Cheongju City, where an old tobacco factory and warehouses were turned into a cultural space.
The analysis results in a general, helpful framework for other regeneration projects
Drawing from these examples, the study suggests benchmarks and actions for urban regeneration. It concludes with a summary of the implementation process for culture-led urban regeneration as a 5- phase model:
- Phase 1 Accessing the decline
- exploring demographic developments
- looking at the economy, environment and appearance
- Phase 2 Understanding the reasons and local characteristics
- analysing the available resources
- exploring the needs and shortages
- Phase 3 Editing the data and “establishing a direction”
- creating a database on economy, society, environment, and culture
- deciding on a vision/focus of the regeneration, e.g. livable, tourist attraction etc.
- Phase 4 applying different methods responding to the findings of Phase 3
- these respond to different sectors such as the commercial, tourism, residential sector
- Phase 5 “monitoring and feedback”
- with different parameters in the short, medium, and long term
The full paper is available for download via Researchgate.
