Studies on perceived restoration have focused on the differences between natural and artificial environments, whereas studies on what makes people select a particular restorative environment are limited. Using the location of Cheonggyecheon Stream Park in the urban center of Seoul, South Korea, this study tests whether people self-select locations based on individual and environmental characteristics. Empirical testing was conducted on 268 responses on a visitor survey that was developed based on the Perceived Restorativeness Scale. The major findings were that visitors' characteristics such as gender, age, number of companions, visit frequency, and travel mode affect their selection of a particular setting, and that the chosen setting subsequently influences three dimensions of the Scale: being away, fascination, and coherence. These findings suggest that both individual and environmental characteristics should be considered in the creation of an effective perceived restorative environment in an urban center.

Abstract:As part of an urban policy designed to revive South Korea's shrinking cities, vacant residential structures are being demolished and the resulting empty plots transformed into public spaces. This study discursively examines this process, its stakeholders, and the sources of conflict among them in the neighborhood of Daebong 2 in Daegu, South Korea. Additionally, solutions for maintaining public interest are explored. Employees and members of relevant municipal authorities and non-profit organizations (NPOs), as well as town residents, were selected through purposive sampling for interviews. The data were then analyzed via open coding. The results reveal conflict between users and non-users in terms of the possession of public goods, as well as conflict between project executives in the creation process. We also found that spatial and policy characteristics are a particular source of conflict in dense, historic residential areas. To overcome problems caused by rivalry and discord, the following actions are required: a change in perspective among policy practitioners; a governance structure that consists of a public/private/community partnership; consensus among community members, and; equitable welfare through programs based on inclusivity and public interest.

This study targets flower-viewing sites appearing in Kyungdojapji and talks about the seasonal customs and tourist attractions of the later Chosun; Pilundae, Bukdun, Outside of Dongdaemun, Cheonyunjeong and near Seodaemun etc. Through related poetry, paintings and maps, it looks into what scenic elements each attraction was made of and how the elements were felt by visitors. It sub-divided and analyzed scenic features into objective objects, subjective emotions and experienced behaviors. As a result, representative objective objects were flowers and there were also scenes where people enjoyed poem-writing meetings along with drinking-related physical elements such as liquor, liquor glasses, liquor bottles etc. Through drawing out scenes, where users gave meaning to objective objects, it tried to interpret what space meant to them, through which the meaning of flower-viewing attractions is first and foremost a space to enjoy artistic taste. Each space is used as the center of cultural creation such as literary people gathering, viewing flowers, drinking and having poetry-writing meetings. Second, as shown in scenes viewers depicted in each space, visitors were confirmed to enjoy scenes through multi-sensory appreciation. By this, flower-viewing attractions were confirmed to be not just flower-viewing but also venues of sensory experience. This study, which drew out the scenic features of traditional flower-viewing attractions, is expected to be basic material in tracing the flower-viewing enjoyed by our ancestors as a pastime and its spatial meaning and in planning Korea-unique flower-viewing attractions.

Designing large parks such as YongsanPark requires the open-ended process-oriented design approach in complex layers rather than the conventional self-completed master plan method. This study aims to examine the characteristics of processoriented design in the eight invited entries of "International Competition for the Master Plan of the Yongsan Park, Korea"(2012). For this purpose, it analyzed each entry according to three criteria: objects of process-oriented approach, time factor and its features of phasing plan, and presentation method of the process. This analysis can not only critically review the current level of the process-centered design methodology but also suggest strategic future directions for Yongsan Park.The objects of process-oriented design in the eight works were order of physical space development, restoration process of ecosystem, recovering process of publicity, and economic operation and management. Main considerations in the objects were connections to adjacent urban fabrics, links to regional green and water system, reuse of existing buildings and infrastructures in the site. The temporal criteria of the phasing plan had two aspects. One was planning a certain time and period, and the other was just establishing an order of phases. Most of the presentation method of process was the phasing plan, but some of the entries suggested a scenario plan. The eight works of "International Competition for the Master Plan of Yongsan Park" did not attempt process-oriented designs entirely and completely. Rather, they tried to introduce the phasing plan as part of a process-centered design. Also, they took an eclectic approach between master plan and process-oriented design instead of rejecting the conventional master plan approach.

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