서울시립대 김충호 교수 연구팀, 도시정비사업에 따른 공원 접근성 및 공간적 불평등 변화 규명

The research team led by Professor Kim Chung-ho from Seoul University has published a paper titled "Analyzing changes in park accessibility and spatial inequality due to urban renewal projects and the Seoul Community Plan: A case study of the Ahyeon community zone" in the prestigious journal "Cities." The journal "Cities," published by Elsevier, is a globally recognized academic journal with an Impact Factor of 7.0 and a 5-year Impact Factor of 8.0 according to 2025 Journal Citation Reports.

The study focused on the Ahyeon community zone, an area that underwent large-scale urban renewal projects and implemented the Seoul Living Environment Plan. Researchers analyzed the changes in park accessibility and spatial inequality from 2008, when urban renewal projects began, to 2018, when the living environment plan was introduced, and 2024, when most of the major projects were completed.

The findings showed that urban renewal projects significantly improved overall park accessibility and spatial equality. The average walking distance to the nearest park decreased, and the size of accessible parks within a certain distance increased by nearly double. However, the benefits were not evenly distributed. In some apartment complexes, high walls, restricted entrances, and isolated pedestrian paths reduced actual access to parks, even when they were nearby. This unequal impact was quantified in the study.

The researchers emphasized that their study goes beyond merely counting the number of new parks created by urban renewal projects. They highlighted the importance of considering the connection of newly supplied parks to individual housing units, pedestrian pathways, and the connectivity between surrounding areas. Future urban renewal projects should take into account not only the area and number of parks but also the entrances to apartment complexes, public pedestrian routes, and connections to the surrounding community.

The research was supported by the Basic Research Project of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea. The paper is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2026.107106. This news report is based on information provided by the university and may differ from other perspectives.