Suggestions for Geumcheon-gu's Regional
Development through Community Arts
based on Its Demographic and
Industrial Characteristics
Hee-Sun Chung, Dept. of Geography, Sangmyung University
Hee-Soon Kim, Institute of Latin American Studies, Seoul National University
1. Introduction
Since the 1980s, manufacturing-centered cities in developed countries have undergone a rapid economic decline due to post-industrial economic reorganization. The cities explored a number of urban development and urban rehabilitation projects to overcome this problem. As the significance of urban identity and quality of life were recognized, a development strategy centered on culture and arts was introduced. As results from numerous studies since the 2000s, advocating that a city’s true competitiveness lies in creative human resources, spaces, and that opportunities for citizens to enjoy culture and arts have to be expanded to nurture and reinforce a city’s creativity, the value and significance of urban development and rehabilitation projects through culture and arts were emphasized (Landry, 2000; Florida, 2002; Hartley, 2005).
Seoul Metropolitan Government, since the mid-2000s, has established creative spaces in Seoul’s declining areas to regenerate the regions and foster the city’s creativity. As of 2010, six creative spaces at the areas of Seogyo, Geumcheon, Sindang, Yeonhui, Mullae, and Seongbuk were formed. The Seoul Art Space Geumcheon in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon-gu, renovated from a printing factory by Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, alongside Seoul Art Space Mullae, was formed to revitalize Seoul’s southwestern semi-industrial districts.
Geumcheon-gu alongside Guro-gu has developed as an industrial zone of Seoul. In 1995, Doksan-dong, Siheung-dong, and part of Garibong-dong which belonged to Guro-gu were merged into the newly established Geumcheon-gu for administrative efficiency. Geumcheon-gu thus has a similar locality with Guro-gu. Like its surrounding districts, Yeongdeungpo-gu and Guro-gu, there are scores of manufacturing companies in Geumcheon-gu. About 1,100 manufacturing companies are located in the Korea Export Industrial Complex (currently Seoul Digital Complex, founded in 1965), plus many clothing discount stores. A number of small-size molding factories are scattered in Doksan-dong, and the Siheung Industrial Tool Shopping Center and the Siheung Central Iron Material Shopping Center are also located in Siheung 3-dong.
This study reviews the characteristics of Geumcheon-gu’s demography, industry, land use, and geography in order to provide the possibility and limits of community art programs implemented by Seoul Art Space Geumcheon. This is to present the directions Seoul Art Space Geumcheon and its programs must seek to improve the image of Geumcheon-gu, enhance the quality of residents’ lives, and revitalize its regional economy. Unlike the other studies on urban regeneration of post-industrial cities where industrial facilities move to other regions, this study explores ways industries and creative spaces can coexist and develop together, reflecting the distribution of industries, and the land use of Geumcheon-gu. This study first examines domestic and foreign cases of introducing culture and arts into the evolvement and revitalization of a city area, investigates the regional features of Geumcheon-gu, and then presents directions for urban development and restoration projects.
2. Regional Development through Community Arts
1) The Concept of Community Arts, and Regional Development through Culture and Arts
The term community refers to “a small group of people voluntarily organized, based
on its constituents’ psychological, spiritual unity and homogeneity in a certain geographical area.” (Korean Urban Geographical Society, 2008, 12). Its geographic domain can be diverse, but in Korea it is usually based within such administrative units as dong, myeon, or eup. Since the 1990s this concept has been utilized as a basic unit in European urban development and rehabilitation, and its cultural aspects were a focus of attention as the importance of locality is emphasized.
Community arts is therefore a cultural, artistic activity, to reinforce unity and homogeneity among constituents, and stimulate a community’s evolvement and revitalization. It pursues culture and arts that can be enjoyed by all, not a minority or cultural elite (Roh Soo-jeong, 2009).
Community arts is often used mixed with public art, but is an art form that concretizes public art in terms of community development. Both of the two terms include such elements as spatial specialty, community engagement, and joint work, but spatial specificity and regional development are considered more important in community art (Sharp, 2005). Both community art and public art increase a region’s aesthetic value and magnetism through painting, photography, video, performance, experimental architecture, and sound installation, and help explore solutions to a specific area’s economic, social, and environmental issues. However, some studies from a skeptical perspective toward the role of public art point out that public art dedicates to a region’s evolvement exclusively only for a specific class, and public art itself may have a cultural dominance and thus may cause local residents’ resistance (Sharp, 2005). It is therefore important to establish in advance the vision of regional development and a comprehensive plan, implement a project based on local residents’ sympathy and suggestion, and share each subject’s opinions and obtain continuous feedbacks.
2) Community Revitalization based on the Theory of Creative City
Florida, who spearheaded studies on the creative class and the creative city, asserted that men of creative talents flow into a specific place based on the attraction a given region has. This refers to a region’s ability to provide opportunities for employment and various life styles, interactive spaces, diverse communities, and the appeal of a place with its credibility and identity (Lee Young-cheol, 2009, 36-39). He saw ‘openness toward diversity or a low entry barrier for talented men’ as the most significant element to attract competent persons. Florida advocated that the municipal government should seek a means to support and enhance diversity for regional development, because a region’s diversity is directly associated with talented persons (Florida, 2005. 145-146).
Florida also claimed a creative city is a place with technology, competent persons, and tolerance. If reinterpreting this, “A creative city is the place in which creative talents are active, cultural and residential environments are fully able to stimulate their artistic inspiration and creativity, and the place facilitates reformative, pliable urban economic systems" (Lee Hee-yeon, 2008, 7).
According to Florida’s theory of the creative city, first, in regard to offering diverse life styles, opportunities and spaces where creative talents can enjoy music, art, theater, film, and sports whenever they want without going far are required. Second, in regard to spaces for interaction, a cultural zone with conditions and facilities such as cafes, bookstores, and libraries where creative talents can have humanistic exchanges is necessary. Third, there is a need to form an open community where people with diverse economic, social, and cultural backgrounds, immigrants and foreigners can coexist. Fourth, the credibility and identity of a specific region is an element that may offer a special experience and make this area attractive (Lee Young-cheol, 2009, 37-39). To sum up, it is necessary to enhance a region’s diversity to induce creative talents and creative industries and become embedded there. For this, there is a need to generate a milieu under which creative talents are connected with communities and create new values.
3. Introduction of Community Arts for Regional Development
1) Domestic Cases
A. Alternative Art Space and Regional Vitalization: Memi Space, An Alternative Space in Gwangju
Memi Space in Gwangju presents the case local artists spearhead voluntary public art and performing arts projects at an art space which were transformed from a warehouse in a traditional market. Memi Space, opened in the Daein market, Gwangju in May 2008, has planned art-related programs and supported performances or performing arts (Hangyeoreh Daily, May 29, 2008). Although some of its programs are supported by Gwangju Municipal Government and Gwangju Arts and Culture Council, the space is run by artists, not led by government organizations. Its artist-in-residence program uses the empty stores of the traditional market, and its educational and experience programs are run by the volunteer work of local college students. The use of creative spaces is freer than other residence programs. Its open studio events, play performances, and fringe performances are held in an atmosphere local residents and commoners attend without burdens (Memi Space, http://www.memispace.org).
Alternative art spaces have the advantage of inducing community constituents’ free engagement through its programs organically linked to the region, instead of executing programs established by official organizations. Nevertheless programs could not be maintained continuously if their support for creative activities and programs become impossible due to financial inability. It is thus necessary to constitute a systematic foundation through which gains from regional invigoration is reinvested to cultural and artistic programs.
B. Public Art for the Revival of a Declined Coal-mining Town: Artist Group
Halartec’s Cheolam Drawing Project
From 1937 when a coal mining first developed, Taebaek, Gwangwon Province grew into a coal-mining town and its local economy enjoyed a boom. In the mid-1980s, however, the government released the policy of coal-mining industry rationalization because the coal-mining industry’s economic feasibility was weakened and demands for coal decreased owing to increased national income and improved quality of life. As a result, a majority of mines were closed and its local economy was hit by a blow. Since 2001, Halartec artists have executed public art activities in the Cheolam-dong area, Taebaek. About 100 artists including painters, sculptors, photographers, installation artists, architects, curators, and art historians joined its projects held from 2001 to 2010. In August 2010 the Cheolam Drawing Project 100th exhibition took place.
The objective of Halartec’s public art projects is to revive the region by animating Taebaek’s culture and tourism through synthetic artistic activities. Its activities are categorized into the followings: first, to install artworks in public places; second, to produce and display paintings and installations addressing Taebaek as subject matter; and third, to run a culture and art school for adolescents. As installation work, the group painted large-scale wall paintings on the buildings
in front of and nearby the Cheolam station, and created a sculpture park and an exhibition space at the Guwawoo village, Hwangyeon-dong, Taebaek. As a creative activity based on the subject matter of Taebaek, the group held regular exhibitions featuring photographs and paintings depicting the region’s natural, humanistic scenes. The group also organized art educational programs and shows for children and youths. These programs were at times supported by a culture promotion fund, but mostly run by participating artists voluntarily (Halartec, http://www.halartec.com).
Halartec allows the general public as well as professional artists to take part in its regular Taebaek visiting program, essentially including gathering the opinions of local residents for creative activities. The group’s activities are of great significance in that their cultural, artistic works chronicle transformations of the region and lay a new foundation for its culture and arts.
2) Overseas Cases
A. Reinforcement of the City’s Aesthetic Quality through Experimental Architecture and Public Art: Graz in Austria
Graz is the capital of the federal state of Steiermark, Austria with 1,000-year history. Its old town area shows a typical case of the revival of a city though the preservation of the old buildings. In the early 1970s the Graz municipal government planned to develop its old downtown area into a modern city with automobile roads, but its old town was preserved by the residents’ opposition. Unlike the old town located in the east of the Mur River, its west was a residential area of the poor where migrant workers currently resided. The level of its residential environment was low, rents were half of that of the old town area, and the red-light district still remains. The social, economical, and cultural gap between the east and west of the city was long a problem. The city government set up Kunsthaus Graz, a museum for contemporary art exhibition and performing arts in its west area to solve this matter. The construction of artistic towns was the fundamental direction of the city’s redevelopment project of its west region. The museum has been used as a test field for contemporary art and other performances (Dong-A Daily, February 14, 2006).
Kunsthaus, whose construction faced a strong opposition by reason of its incongruity to the traditional downtown, captured residents and viewers’ attention with its performances fitting into its weird outer appearance, which helped revitalize its western local economy. Its outer appearance seems like a marine life form, and people feel this building alive as it radiates low sound for five minutes every 50 minutes. With its unique architectural design, the building was called the “Friendly Alien” (Donga Daily, February 14, 2006). The city government was able to get rid of regional disparity through the construction of the landmark building with high artistry, quality design, and cultural and artistic programs for local residents. This is the case the revitalization of a region was made by underlining the aesthetic quality of urban scenes through experimental architecture and public art, and enabling urbanites to embrace culture and arts.
B. Creation of the Regional Culture and Arts Center through the Renovation of Public Facilities: Le 104, Paris, France
Le 104, located in the 19th Arrondissenment, Paris, shows the case of converting a funeral hall built in 1837 to a regional culture and arts center. Until 1993, the Paris municipal government had monopolized funeral business including coffin and funeral car manufacturing and supply, funeral service, and cemetery. In 1993, the monopoly of funeral business was under legal regulations, and in 1998, funeral services at the Le 104 stopped eternally. Although there was a strong assertion to redevelop this building, in 1995, Roger Madec, the 19th Arrondissement mayor, dedicated to designating its façade and glass ceiling as historic relics (Le 104, http://www.104.fr).
The 19th Arrondissement is the district where Arabs and people of the low-income class reside and has thus designated as the rearrangement zone since the late 1960s. In 2001 Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë decided to include this funeral building into an urban redevelopment project, and to convert this into the space for creation, exhibition, and performance in 2003. Le 104, opened in October 2008 as the Paris Arts Center, has presented culture and art programs encompassing all genres of arts from music, dance, and fine arts to fashion, design, and literature. This center runs a residence program for artists and musicians, and local residents may execute artistic activities in its individual creative spaces they can rent if paying two francs per hour. The center also runs the space for children where they can play, read books, and participate in art workshops. The center plans to open a business support center offering space for culture and multi-media related firms in the fields of plastic art, virtual reality, video projection, and robotics in April 2011. This is part of an effort to foster local industries by organically linking creativity to the industry (Le 104, http://www.104.fr).
The purpose of its establishment, supported by the Paris municipal government, is to stimulate communication among people through culture and arts. The center makes efforts to nurture creativity through festivals, exhibitions, workshops, and facilities such as restaurants, libraries, and nurseries. This case shows that unwanted public facilities may improve place images and appeals by converting to a culture and art center.
3) Implications of Domestic and Overseas Cases
The cases, reviewed above, show the formation of culture and arts centers and creative spaces in declined industrial districts or old downtown areas, and implementation of diverse cultural and artistic programs there. A region’s fixed negative image is improved through these creative spaces and community art, its aesthetic quality is strengthened through improving urban landscapes, its local economy is revitalized through the expansion of the opportunity local residents enjoy culture and arts. Any direct comparison of these cases, however, is not easy because most of the creative spaces mentioned above were established in recent years, and their projects and programs have been executed in different regional scales. Yet, they have some elements in common in that they try to bring out regional growth and solve regional pending issues through artistic activities and art works.
Local government-led projects can be sustainable based on continuous financial support, but local residents' opinions are not fully reflected, and a region's identity may undergo distortion. On the contrary, the cases of Gwangju and Taebaek in which spontaneous artist groups have formed creative spaces voluntarily and operated programs for regional development indicate that liberal exchanges between artists and local residents at a traditional market and a coal-mining town through creation, display, and performances, and installations. Community art activities by such spontaneous artist groups are relatively small in scale, may be difficult to attain a financial base, and are thus hard to be continuous, but have an advantage to create the convergence of locality and art through communication between artists and residents.
The creation of culture and art centers and creative spaces may be effective in improving an area’s fixed negative image. What’s more important is to embody creative programs that can result in regional development through local residents’ active engagement, not their passive participation. It is important to help them organize events and execute artistic activities voluntarily through their communication and exchange rather than relying on top-down programs.
4. The Composition of Geumcheon-gu Population and Industry
1) The Characteristics of Geumcheon-gu Population and Land Use
Geumcheon-gu alongside Guro-gu has been developed as a typical industrial zone of Seoul. In 1995, Doksan-dong, Siheung-dong, and part of Garibong-dong which belonged to Guro-gu was renamed Gasan-dong, were merged into the newly established Geumchon-gu for administrative efficiency. The regional features of Geumcheon-gu can be examined through the classification of such elements as traffic networks, land use, population composition, house composition, and urban plans.
In terms of transporation networks, Nambu Expressway runs east to west on the district’s northern edge, and Anyang-cheon, which runs parallel to Gyeongbu Expressway, crosses the district southwest to north. Subway line 1 and subway line 7 intersect, and Siheung-daero, 50 meters wide, passes through its central area. This boulevard allows accessibility to other regions from southwestern Seoul, but it divides the district’s east from its west. Gyeongbu Railroad has also been a physical obstacle geographically severing this region from Gyeonggi Province (Han In-soo, 2008, 25).
In Seoul, Geumcheon-gu has the highest ratio of semi-industrial zones, which take up 32% of its total area (Han In-soo, 25). The ratio of commercial areas (0.001%) and green belts (20.4%) is far lower than the other districts of Seoul.
Geumcheon-gu presently has a population of approximately 247,587 inhabitants that reside in its 10 dongs in similar ratio. The most populated area is Siheung 1-dong, while Siheung 3-dong, a semi-indsutrial area has the least people with 5.3% of the district's total population. The ratio of the households receiving national basic living assistance in Geumchon-gu is highest in Doksan 1-dong (18.6%). (Table 1)
Table 1. The Composition of Geumcheon-gu Population by Administrative Dong, 2008
unit: % in parenthesis
Source: White Paper on Geumchon-gu Administration, 2009.
Foreign nationals residing in Geumcheon-gu in 2008 took up 9/1% of the total population of Geumcheon-gu, which is the second highest rate in Seoul after Yeongdeungpo-gu. They mostly live in Gasan-dong, Doksan 1-dong, Doksan 3-dong, and Siheung 1-dong. Korean immigrants with citizenship of the People's Republic of China took up 90.9% of the total foreign nationals, and about 10% of foreign residents came from Asian countries including Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Similar to the distribution of Chinese-Koreans, 354 Vietnamese nationals mostly reside in Doksan 1-dong (41.2%), and Gasan-dong (30.2%). The rate of foreign nationals from the Philippines, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan is the highest in Gasan-dong.
Apartment complexes, which were constructed at the redevelopment projects, are distributed mainly in Siheung 2-dong, but most of its residential areas are made up of detached houses, row houses, and multiplex houses. Commercial facilities and factories are located in the mixture. Detached houses spread throughout Geumcheon-gu except for Siheung 2-dong with large-scale apartment complexes, and Siheung 3-dong in a compact mass with row houses.
The Table 2 shows each dong's properties in land use. In Gasan-dong, old row houses stand close together with 31 apartment-type plants and factory-type clothing outlets. The area, bordered with Garibong-dong, Guro-gu is in a compact mass with superannuated houses and shabby, narrow rooms largely used by foreign residents including Chinese nationals. Doksan 1-dong is an area mixed with metal processing and moulding plants, row houses, and shopping arcades. The redevelopment project is planned to construct a residential, business, and commercial district in the site of a military base. Doksan 2-dong, Doksan 3-dong, and Doksan 4-dong are residential areas where detached, row, and multiplex houses along with primary, middle, and high schools are concentrated. Scores of transportation companies, steel making and processing plants are located especially in Doksan 3-dong.
Table 2. Geumchon-gu Regional Characteristics by Administrative Dong
Source: White Paper on Geumchon-gu Administration, 2009, 432-452.
Foreign nationals residing in Geumcheon-gu in 2008 took up 9/1% of the total population of Geumcheon-gu, which is the second highest rate in Seoul after Yeongdeungpo-gu. They mostly live in Gasan-dong, Doksan 1-dong, Doksan 3-dong, and Siheung 1-dong. Korean immigrants with citizenship of the People's Republic of China took up 90.9% of the total foreign nationals, and about 10% of foreign residents came from Asian countries including Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Similar to the distribution of Chinese-Koreans, 354 Vietnamese nationals mostly reside in Doksan 1-dong (41.2%), and Gasan-dong (30.2%). The rate of foreign nationals from the Philippines, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan is the highest in Gasan-dong.
Apartment complexes, which were constructed at the redevelopment projects, are distributed mainly in Siheung 2-dong, but most of its residential areas are made up of detached houses, row houses, and multiplex houses. Commercial facilities and factories are located in the mixture. Detached houses spread throughout Geumcheon-gu except for Siheung 2-dong with large-scale apartment complexes, and Siheung 3-dong in a compact mass with row houses.
The Table 2 shows each dong's properties in land use. In Gasan-dong, old row houses stand close together with 31 apartment-type plants and factory-type clothing outlets. The area, bordered with Garibong-dong, Guro-gu is in a compact mass with superannuated houses and shabby, narrow rooms largely used by foreign residents including Chinese nationals. Doksan 1-dong is an area mixed with metal processing and moulding plants, row houses, and shopping arcades. The redevelopment project is planned to construct a residential, business, and commercial district in the site of a military base. Doksan 2-dong, Doksan 3-dong, and Doksan 4-dong are residential areas where detached, row, and multiplex houses along with primary, middle, and high schools are concentrated. Scores of transportation companies, steel making and processing plants are located especially in Doksan 3-dong.
Siheung-dong is subdivided into five administrative dongs, from Siheung 1-dong to Siheung 5-dong. During the Joseon Dynasty, Siheung-hyeon office which had the jurisdiction over Yeongdeungpo-gu, Guro-gu, Geumcheon-gu, Dongjak-gu, Gwanak-gu, Gwangmyeong and Anyang was located in this dong. No traces of the office building remain now, but an ancient map indicate that there were a public school, an altar for the state guardian deities, a temporary palace, a village and a granary in this area. Siheung 1-dong is mixed with commercial facilities and residents. Geumcheon-gu office, recently constructed, is located in this dong. Siheung 2-dong is clustered with apartment complexes nearby Samseong Mountain. The Siheung Industrial Tool Shopping Center and the Siheung Central Iron Material Shopping Center are located in the Siheung 3-dong area. Siheung 4 and 5-dong are also clustered with superannuated houses, and Siheung 5-dong is designated as the new town district.
Doksan-dong is subdivided into four administrative dongs from Doksan 1-dong to Doksan 4-dong. Hundreds of meat shops form a meat wholesale market near a closed slaughterhouse. This dong is also mixed with row houses, restaurants, metal processing and mold plants. The number of floating population in its residential area is larger than that of the Doksan Station.
In 2005, Seoul Metropolitan Government designated the 966 Siheung-dong area as the third new town district and planned to construct 4,248-household apartments including 723- household rental apartments. As of June 2010, however, the project is delayed due to the announcement of the rearrangement promotion areas. The city government also planned to construct a multipurpose building at 908~909, Siheung-dong, but revised this plan to form a historic park commemorating Joseon's district office and a palace that were located here. The Metropolitan Government also plans to set up a library at a public site near the Fall Park by the Siheung-daero, but residents are opposing the plan as they want to gain more benefits from this development.
2) The Compositon of Geumcheon-gu Industries
The review of the characteristics of Geumcheon’s industries in terms of its number and employees indicates that as of 2008, the top five industriesin number are wholesale and retail industry (27.5%), manufacturing industry (18.0%), lodging and restaurant business (12.9%), transportation industry (10.6%), and repair and other personal service industry (7.9%). More pecifically, the top five industries in terms of the number of employees include manufacturing industry(28.55), wholesale and retail industry (17.0%), publication, video, broadcasting and telecommunication, information service business (12.5%), science and technology service business (10.1%), and transportation industry (6.0%). With regard to the number of businesses, Geumcheon-gu’s regional characteristicsas a new business district appear unclear as the manufacturing industry takes a large proportion. However, in terms of the number of employees, Geumcheon-gu is no longer the area of conventional manufacturing industries, considering that one fourth of workers are employed by creative industries such as publication, broadcasting, telecommunication, information service, science and technology service businesses.
As suggested in the Table 3, Geumcheon-gu’s primary businesses are food and beverage business, transportation business, manufacturing mould patterns and machinery wholesale business, and clothing sale business.
The number of Korean food restaurant businesses and clothing sale businesses is relatively high in Gasan-dong where Geumcheon Fashion Town is located. In Siheung 3-dong, electric machinery and related material wholesale businesses, other machinery and equipment wholesale businesses, and metal product wholesale businesses are concentrated, as the Siheung Industrial Tool Shopping Center and the Siheung Central Iron Material Shopping Center are located in this dong. The first and second industrial complexes, now called the Seoul Digital Industrial Complex, are located in Gasan-dong. As of 2008, 1,134 and 2,822 manufacturing companies and fashion brands are housed in the second and third complex respectively (Geumcheon-gu White Paper, 2009). The Siheung Central Iron Material Shopping Center, located at 966 Siheung-dong, is the largest iron material distribution center in Seoul and its vicinity area. As of 2010, about 470 steel product manufacturing, processing, assemblage, and distribution-related firms operate now.
Table 3. The Composition of Geumcheon-gu’s Top 15 Industries in Number, 2008
Source: A Survey of Guemcheon-gu Businesses, 2009.
Note: The shades refer to top 3 businesses in each dong.
The Siheung Industrial Tool Shopping Center, located at 984, Siheung 3-dong, was established in 1987 as the largest industrial products distribution center in Korea. This center was formed when about 1,200 mechanical device, steel material, nonferrous metals, electric and electronic equipment shops, situated in the downtown area of Cheonggye Stream, Yeongdeungpo, and Bongrae-dong, moved to this dong. About 3,700 shops are housed in 33 buildings.
The Geumcheon Fashion Town, located in Gasan-dong, was formed in the early 2000s. Since the Mario Outlet opened in July 2001, 15 large-scale garment outlets are in operation now. The Mario Outlest expanded its space in 2004 and 2005, and about 40,000 customers a day visit there. A number of small independent shops around large-scale outlets are scattered in this area. Since 2004, foreign visitors have increased, 80% of whom are Chinese and Taiwanese tourists.
In short, Geumcheon-gu industries have a dual structure. New industry-related industries such as knowledge-based IT busineses, publishing and video producing businesses, broadcasting & telecommunication businesses are housed in apartment-type plants in Gasan-dong; and conventional industries such as metal, machinery, electronics manufacturing and distribution businesses are concentrated in the Doksan-dong and Siheug-dong area. The Geumcheon-gu government needs to reduce the gap of these two areas by actively reflecting this dual structure when it executes regional development projects.
3) Analysis of Geumcheon-gu’s Industrial Specialization Level through Location Quotient
As mentioned above, more manufacturers than in Seoul’s other districts are situated in Geumcheon-gu. In this chapter, the features of Geumcheon-gu’s industrial structure are reviewed by examining the industrial specialization level of each administrative dong through a location quotient analysis. Geumcheon’s population working for manufacturing industries is about 150,000, only 3.79% of 4 million people, Seoul’s total population engaged in industries. About 60% of the Geumcheon’s workers engaged in manufacturing industries resides in Gasan-dong, and the population in Doksan 1-dong, Siheung 1-dong, and Siheung 3-dong is also noticeable. Of 150,000 people, the largest portion of the population (43,260) work in the manufacturing industry, which takes up 29.25% of Seoul’s total population engaged in manufacturing. Especially in Gasan-dong, nearly 30,000 are employed by manufacturing factories. Following the manufacturing industry, 25,700 people are involved in wholesale and retail businesses, and 19,000 people work in publishing, video, broadcasting, and information service businesses.
This study has calculated the location quotient1) by a division of Geumcheon-gu’s industries (Table 4). The features of this district’s industries, seen through the location quotients, are as follows. First, the location quotient appears highest in manufacturing (7.720), and the quotient of manufacturing business is extremely high in every dong, except for Siheung 2-dong. This means, the manufacturing industry in this region is more specialized than in the other districts of Seoul, and is widespread throughout the district. Second, other businesses showing a quotient level of over 1.0 are publishing, video, broadcasting, telecommunication and information businesses (1.972) and professional scientific and technological service businesses (1.817), and transportation businesses (1.028), but other businesses showing a quotient of less than 1.0 indicate that they are less specialized in Geumcheon-gu. The quotient of transportation businesses is especially high in the seven dongs, which is caused by many carports located in Geumcheon-gu, as the district is located in the southwestern edge of Seoul and has dense traffic networks. Third, there are many dongs showing high quotients in service businesses, including defense and administrative service businesses, and educational service businesses. The specialization level of service businesses is relatively high in most dongs, except for Gasan-dong and Doksan 1-dong with a high quotient in manufacturing business, and Siheung 3-dong, with a high quotient in environment restoration business and wholesale and retail business.
The location quotients of all dongs reveal the traits different from Geumcheon-gu’s general aspects. First, Siheung 2-dong shows features most different from the district’s general aspects. This dong’s specialized level is high in educational service businesses (5.555), healthcare & social welfare businesses (2.515), real estate and rental businesses (2.241), and transportation businesses. Its reason lies in the fact that the residential area is greater than the other areas. Large-scale apartment complexes are located here, and this dong is near Gwanak Mountain and thus offers an advantageous condition for establishing carports. Second, the specialization level in the manufacturing industry is high in Gasan-dong and Doksan-dong, but quotients in other industries are low on the whole. The quotients in Gasan-dong appear high in publishing, visual imagery, broadcasting, telecommunication, and information businesses (3.126), and professional scientific, technical service businesses (2.718), and the quotient in Doksan 1-dong is high in transportation businesses (3.312).
Third, the quotients in Siheung 3-dong are relatively high in manufacturing businesses (3.627), as in other dongs, wholesale and retail businesses, and sewage, waste treatment, material recycling, and environment restoration businesses. This is influenced by the Industrial Material Shopping Center.
Fourth, there are some differences between businesses, but quotients in Doksan 2-dong and Dosan 3-dong show similar patterns. They are relatively high in service industries, such as public administration businesses, educational service businesses, healthcare businesses, leisure-related service businesses, and individual service businesses. The location quotient in Siheung 4-dong and Siheung 5-dong is over 2 in manufacturing businesses, but is comparatively low when compared with the entire Geumcheon area. The quotients in these dongs are high in transportation businesses and educational service businesses.
Table 4. Location Quotients by a Mid-division of Geumcheon-gu’s Industries, 2008
Note: Yellow 1.000-1.999, Blue 2.000-4.999, Green 5.000-9.999, Red 10.000 or over .
Table 5. Location Quotients by a Sub-division of Geumcheon-gu Manufacturing Industry, 2008
Note 1: Yellow 1.000-1.999, Blue 2.000-4.999,
Green 5.000-9.999, Red 10.000-19.000, Brown 20.000 or over.
Note 2: The coke, briquettes,
and oil refinery industry is excluded because the employee of this field in Seoul is 0.
As Geumcheon-gu's most developed industry is manufacturing, local quotients by a sub-divison of Geumcheon-gu manufacturing industry are calculated and used to examine each dong's traits (Table 5). The quotients of Geumcheon-gu are over 1 in all fields, and nine fields are over 10.
The features of each dong is as follows. First, as the specialization level of the manufacturing industry in Gasan-dong and Doksan 1-dong is very high, this area is considered the center of Geumcheon-gu's manufacturing industry, and moreover Seoul's primary industrial district. Second, Siheung 1-dong is particularly specialized in lumber and furniture manufacturing business. The specialization level of lumber and wooden product manufacturing industry is very high in Siheung 3, 4 and 5-dong, which indicates lumber and wood-related companies are concentrated in this area. Third, Doksan 2, 3, and 4-dong show high location quotients in textile goods and clothing manufacturing industry, which is caused by large-scale garment outlets located in Gasan-dong. Fourth, Siheung 2, 3, and 4-dong are characterized by high location quotients in food manufacturing industry. This is because hundreds of meat product wholesale and retail shops are distributed in Doksan-dong. Fifth, Siheung 3-dong shows the high specialization level in metal manufacturing industry (35.365) and metal product manufacturing industry (28.846).
As reviewed based on the location quotients by a subdivision of Geumcheon-gu's industries, the features of this district's industrial structure are as follows.
First, the quotients in the manufacturing industry are very high in the most of Geumcheon-gu areas. Second, Gasan-dong and Doksan 1-dong are the areas concentrated with manufacturing factories, and the specialization level of the manufacturing industry is high in the two regions. Third, all fields of the manufacturing industry are highly developed in Geumcheon-gu. Fourth, both manufacturing and distribution are active in this district as huge-scale distribution centers such as tool distribution shops and fashion outlets are located in Geumcheon-gu. Fifth, the specialization level in service business is lower than that of manufacturing industry, while the quotients in transportation and wholesale and retail business are relatively high. This is mainly because Geumcheon-gu's roads, transportation facilities and conditions are particularly well-developed, and its land prices are relatively low as the district is located in the southern edge of Seoul.
4. Suggestions for Community Arts in Geumcheon-gu
The Seoul Metropolitan Government pushes ahead culture and art-oriented regional development and restoration projects to nurture urban creativity. It has provided artists with creative spaces and has run cultural and artistic programs for citizens through a conversion of declined underground shopping malls, factories in industrial areas, and unused public government buildings into culture and art spaces. Seoul Art Space_ Geumcheon is noticeable in that it operates an artist-in-residence program for both domestic and foreign artists, and also focuses on community arts to spearhead regional revitalization (Table 6). Its primary programs are cultural and artistic performances and education for local residents, public artwork installation, and cultural products development, associated with local industries.
Table 6. Seoul Art Space Geumcheon's Programs
Source: Seoul Art Space, http://www.seoulartspace.or.kr
Suggestions for community arts programs and the directions these programs need to pursue for Geumcheon’s regional development are as follows. First, the ways to improve the Geumchoen image are required. It is necessary to see Gasan-dong’s dense residential area of Chinese-Koreans, Siheung 3-dong’s Industrial Tool Shopping Center, and Central Iron Material Shopping Center, and Doksan-dong’s steel factories as regional assets, not obstacles to regional development, and to execute public art projects showcasing the diversity, tolerance, and authenticity of local art. It also requires installation of symbolic sculptures in the Siheung Industrial Tool Shopping Center, Doksan-dong’s meat products wholesale market, and a cluster of molding plants, underlining their contribution to Geumcheon’s industrial growth. The installations as symbols reflecting the characteristics of such facilities should help the formation of their place image. These installations may bring about an effect of enhancing the region’s image by lending creativity and aesthetic quality to urban scenes.
Second, the living conditions of residential areas should be improved through community art. It requires converting small-scale parks and children’s playgrounds in the concentrated area of row-houses in Siheung-dong and Doksan-dong into spaces for artworks, performances, and events. Installed in Geumcheon-gu’s children’s parks including Saejaemi children’s park in Siheung 1-dong and Golmal children’s park in Gasan-dong are only amusement facilities and benches. Public artworks need to be set in such children’s parks. These activities provide local residents with an opportunity to enjoy culture and arts in everyday life, increasing their attachment to their local area and fostering their community consciousness.
Third, as suggested in the theory of creative city, the spaces where residents enjoy and join culture and arts in daily life are required to nurture local creativity. There are no places in the steel plants area of Doksan-dong and Siheung-dong for workers to chat and rest. Making unused spaces and closed factories resting places, and operating regular performing programs may expand opportunities for workers to enjoy culture and arts and to strengthen the region’s cultural base.
Fourth, cultural and artistic groups in which local residents can participate need to be organized. Small groups, such as choruses, wall painting groups, and storytelling groups open to local residents, can be formed. Such group activities may enable them to gain vitality in life through cultural and arts, become interested in their community’s pending issues, and explore solutions.
Fifth, it is necessary to diversify and expand cultural and artistic programs for children for regional development through cultural and artistic education. Music and fine arts educational programs for children from low-income families, to nurture their creativity, can be run through college students’ volunteer work and their volunteer groups.
Sixth, it requires programs for migrant workers and their families to introduce their indigenous cultures. The region’s cultural diversity and residents’ tolerance for multi-cultures can be enhanced through these programs alongside Korean language education programs. It is also necessary to execute projects to enhance the street landscapes of the Anyang stream area and National Railway area, to replace old wall paintings, and to design the carports of many transportation companies in Geumcheon. The important element is to reflect residents’ opinions in the formation of cultural and artistic communities for their communication (Choi Byung-do, 2007).
Community art is based on democratic consensus and publicness. Community development should be based on the engagement of local residents. Geumcheon’s community art has to proceed to bring out communication and harmony among its constituents, based on its demographic and sociological features and industrial compositions.
5. Summary and Conclusion
This study aims to present suggestions to revitalize the Geumcheon area through community art. Geumcheon-gu was chosen as the object of this study in that it has regional characteristics distinguished from the other districts of Seoul as a concentrated area of industrial facilities. It is the industrial hub of Seoul as many plants and distribution facilities are concentrated along the Gyeongsu Industrial Road, but remains underdeveloped due to these facilities in terms of living conditions. In Gasan-dong and Doksan 1-dong, the concentrations of primary industrial facilities show a higher specialization level in all manufacturing industries than any other area in Seoul, while in Siheung 3-dong where the Industrial Tool Shopping Center and the Central Iron Material Shopping Center are located, the specialization level of the metal industry appears very high. In the center of the Gasan Digital Complex in Doksan 2, 3, 4, 5-dong the textile products manufacturing area has been formed. Lumber-related industries are scattered throughout Siheung-dong, and Siheung 4 and 5-dong specialize in food manufacturing and wholesale and retail businesses. The specialization level of manufacturing industry, transportation businesses, and
wholesale and retail industries appears high as a whole.
The concentration of industrial facilities in Geumcheon-gu has an influence not only on the general regional characteristics but also its demographical composition. With this, the proportion of migrant workers and foreigners in population is higher than other Seoul districts. This region’s foreign population is mainly composed of Chinese Koreans and Southeast Asians who offer their labor to this region’s industrial facilities. They are an element leading changes in the residential pattern of this area. The living conditions of residential areas are lower than other areas of Seoul, and its culture and welfare-related facilities are insufficient.
In this context, the directions community arts must take on the basis of Geumcheon-gu’s industrial and social features are as follows. It is first of all suggested to implement public art projects, accepting its clustered industrial facilities as place assets. Public art programs including sculpture installations would help Geumcheon’s place image be improved through the creation of attractive landscapes. Other suggestions include improving its living environment through community art programs and interactive cultural places, and to creating cultural and artistic organizations for local residents and workers. As the specialization level of manufacturing industry and the ratio of foreign residents is high in Geumcheon-gu, cultural and artistic programs for foreigners may play a significant role in invigorating its artistic creativity and cultural diversity. As community art is marked by democracy and publicness, residents’ satisfaction, their opinions, and engagements have to be considered in community arts projects. The art center has to make consistent efforts to become a place coexisting with all of the community's constituents.
1) The location quotient is utilized to analyze the specialization level of an industry in order to examine a region's industrial and economic structure. If the quotient is less than 1, the specialization level is low, namely the industry is less concentrated in the region. If the quotient is more than 1, it means that the industry is more concentrated than other areas.
