Urban Squatter Policies (Ⅲ): the Cases of Korea and United Kingdom
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KRIHS Research Report 2003–46 Urban Squatter Policies (Ⅲ): The cases of Korea and United Kingdom Mina Kang Editor Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, Korea In Collaboration with Faculty of the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, The University of Birmingham, United Kingdom Copyright ⓒ 2003 Korea Research Institute For Human Settlements All right reserved. Printed in the Republic of Korea. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Korea Research Institute For Human Settlements, 1591-6, Gwanyang-dong, Dongan-gu, Anyang-shi, Gyeonggi-do, 431-712, Korea. http://www/krihs.re.kr Urban Squatter Policies (Ⅲ) : The Cases of Korea And United Kingdom / Edited by Mina Kang-- Anyang: Korea Research Institute For Human Settlements, 2004 p. ; cm. –(KRIHS research report ; 2003-46) Includes bibliographical references ISBN·89-8182-280-8 537.7-KDC4 711.4-DDC21 CIP2004000249 Contributors Ahn, Jung-Geun and Ha, Jae-Kee Korea National Housing Corporation Hong, In-Ok Korea Center for City and Environment Research Kang, Mina Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements Kim, Yong-Hwan Ministry of Construction and Transportation Kim, Young-Ha Dankook University Koh, Chul Korea Housing Institute Park, Hwan-Yong Kyungwon University Alan Murie, Chris Watson, Rick Groves, Stephen Hall , John Downie, Bob Ferris, Steve Bentley, Austin Barber, Chris Buchanan, Mike Beazley, and Shinwon Kyung CURS, The University of Birmingham i ii Foreword Though the deteriorated areas have been accompanied with the problems of not only physical residential environment, but also socio-economic matters with poorness, it is true that redevelopment policies for those areas are not completely successful because socio-economic aspects have been hardly considered as a part of housing redevelopment policies. The purpose of the redevelopment is mainly to improve residential environment of poor condition areas with low-income class households. As an effort of searching effective approaches and strategies to cope with these major issues facing urban squatter policies, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements together with the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, the University of Birmingham embarked a four-year collaborative study in 2001. The first and second workshops were held in Seoul in 2001 and 2002, respectively. The main themes are the structure and administrative system of governments of the both countries and characteristics of their regeneration objective areas as well as institutional structure of the policies. Following the Seoul workshops, the third workshop was held in Birmingham in July 2003. Presentations and discussions in the Birmingham workshop focused on urban renewal and regeneration issues, including the case studies of Korea and U.K.. Through the collaborative research, researchers and government officers iii in the two countries learned a great deal about each other’s approaches to and strategies for urban regeneration policies. I hope that this report, although it does not explain the full context of urban deteriorated area issues in the two countries, can provide materials for mutual understanding and a stimulus to new thinking in urban squatter policies. I would be grateful to the institutions involved in the collaborative research as well as all the persons who participated in the Birmingham workshop. Specially, I would like to express words of appreciation to Professor Chris Watson, Professor Rick Groves and Professor Stephen Hall at the University of Birmingham for their coordination of the three-year collaborative research at the Britain side. Kyu-Bang Lee President, KRIHS iv SUMMARY This report is an outcome of the third workshop, which was held during 7- 11 July, 2003 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The scholars and government officials of Korea and UK participated in the workshop and discussed the process of redevelopment projects, success-case study of regeneration programmes and the more developmental housing policies for the future. The main purpose of the workshop was to figure out and present a more effective and realistic direction in re-housing policies for native residents in redevelopment areas, through the 3rd UK-Korea workshop. ● Residential Improvement Projects in Korea There have existed many housing redevelopment projects carried out in deteriorated housing areas of low-income households. Especially, Housing Redevelopment (HR) and Residential Environment Improvement (REI) Projects are representative development methods to improve poor residential environment of the low-income class in Korea. The former focuses on the retrieval of urban function and high utilization of land for the improvement of residential environment, while the latter tries to expand residential welfare v of the low-income class and to improve urban environment. Though these projects have been believed to improve housing quality and eventually support regional economy of the areas, both were regarded negatively due to the overcrowded estate of apartment housing, the lost function of social redevelopment, and insufficient connection with neighbourhood. The first chapter provides the policy for qualitative improvement of urban residential environment based on analyzing the designation process of HR and REI projects. It suggests that more comprehensive standards of district designation should be established, that designation is needed to be conducted more objectively and that residents’ opinion should be reflected in the district designation. Chapter 2 evaluates the REI project in terms of resettlement rate, and analyzes the causes of lowering resettlement. Relatively poor affordability of residents including tenants and lack of temporary housing during project period are apparent to be main reasons to lower resettle-down. In order to achieve the goal of REI, to improve the overall welfare of inhabitants, original residents with low income should be considered in the side of purchasing power, temporary or rehousing, and housing expenses. It is also necessary that community networks that help in keeping the community’s culture and sharing information should be continued and managed well. Chapter 3 suggests future policy directions for better living conditions of low- income households. That is, the government plan in the future should not be another simple redevelopment of Moon Village, but an opportunity to find out practical redevelopment alternatives and to convert its direction to the combination of residential redevelopment and urban planning techniques. vi In the residents’ aspect, concrete architectural guidelines for what to do and how to proceed are needed. The guidelines allow residents to make their own decisions on the costs they must pay and the outcomes they receive from the programme. In the local and central governments’ aspect, the bottom lines of the programme are to preserve current site characteristics and to protect low- income households and tenants, creating relatively decent and affordable residential environment. In the institutional aspect of urban planning, enacting the Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Law is needed to implement a legal basis for systematic residential development by similar programmes and to maintain systematic residential structure. ● Clearance and rehousing projects in United Kingdom ● Identification and Assessment of Potential Clearance Areas Local housing authorities (LHAs) are required to react to complaints of housing disrepair and to requests for financial assistance to carry out repairs. However, it is necessary to identify and assess those areas considering the limited resource of LHA for these projects. The dwellings where the compulsory clearance is considered as a reactive enforcement action by LHA are those that are either unfit for human habitation, in a state of disrepair and structural instability linked to poor ground conditions, concentrations of empty, abandoned or unwanted houses, or dwellings that are dangerous due to narrowness or bad arrangement of the streets. Generally, the compulsory clearance is proceed as below, 1) The identification and assessment phase vii 2) The formal declaration process 3) Effecting clearance 4) Vacant possession is a prerequisite of the final stage of effecting clearance 5) Redevelopment Clearance declarations will continue to be preceded by several forms of Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment or Estate Appraisal initiated within a reactive or proactive housing programme. Authorities will be required to publicize their intentions and to make formal decisions clear. The process of negotiating vacant possession and rehousing will remain just as traumatic for the displaced households and the promised land of redevelopment will take forever to achieve. ● The Challenge of Rehousing Rehousing or finding alternative home is one of the most important elements of the clearance and redevelopment process in United Kingdom. Through observation of two regenerated areas in Birmingham; Saltley and Lozells, it is proposed to explore some of the procedures and practices developed to support those residents to find alternative homes. The challenge of rehousing has led to some innovative solutions to the needs and aspirations of residents. These have been developed through listening and understanding to those forced to lose their homes through clearance action. viii ● Castle Vale Housing Action Trust One of the