Strengthening of social cohesion in localities through community-based urban regeneration: A case of Residential Environment Management Project in Samdeok Town, Seoul

Abstract

Cities are faced with growing social and economic disparities, which can negatively affect social support networks, decrease interpersonal trust and confidence in public institutions, and lead to social and political conflicts. This erodes social cohesion in cities and reduces their capacity to effectively cope with hazardous social, economic and environmental risks in the future. Seoul Metropolitan Government has recognised the importance of social cohesion to improve a long-term resilience of the city, and introduced several community-based urban regeneration approaches to not only improve the built environment, but also to recover eroded social relationships and trust among the residents, and to build resilient communities and the city. This paper aims to explore to what extent have these approaches succeeded in meeting their aims, and to assess how much community-based urban regeneration has strengthened social cohesion in the city. By focusing on the Residential Environment Management Project in Samdeok Town, the paper argues that urban regeneration has improved social relationships among the residents, which have earlier been in decline. Stronger social relationships, established through community workshops – which were the key instrument to involve residents in urban regeneration – have contributed to better communication, understanding, and trust among the residents. Community building, however, takes time and urban regeneration in Samdeok Town is still an on-going process. In this sense, it is early to assess in details how much community-based urban regeneration will eventually strengthen social cohesion and improve long-term resilience in the city.