Building Sustainable and Inclusive Communities through Social (Tenure) Mix in Korea

Sustainable development is another way of discussing inclusive communities. Socially sustainable community members are able to; enjoy a sense of belonging; be assured of mutual social support from their community; enjoy freedom from discrimination and fear. Applying the concept of sustainable development to Korean communities begins with unprecedented and simultaneous emphasis on multiplying and increasing social inclusion, mobilizing residents and participation in governance. There is evidence that housing tenure is an important dimension of people's lives and that there may be an association between housing development and creating sustainable and inclusive communities. Two major questions being posed are: ( 1) How to create inclusive communities through social ( tenure) mix? (2) What are the implications of housing tenure differences in creating inclusive communities in line with housing (estate) development? The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast elements of inclusive communities across different housing tenures in the two cities (Seoul and Gangneung). Using the results of 336 questionnaires, we assess a commonly recognized element of inclusive community which is social mix and social capital. We found that the perception on social mix and social capital differed significantly between housing tenures. We argue that there are four hypothetic community types from a theoretical standpoint. Our study areas do not belong to the ideal type of community.