Especially over the last couple of years, the people participating in sport activities such as bicycling, power-walking, Inline-skating increased enormously. As a result, now Hangang Park became the best place for people who participate in sport activ ...
Especially over the last couple of years, the people participating in sport activities such as bicycling, power-walking, Inline-skating increased enormously. As a result, now Hangang Park became the best place for people who participate in sport activities.
In this study, Hangang Park which is the most representative sport park in Korea was selected as a field site. This study focused on the process of social production and construction of this area as sporting space. To show the process of the social production and construction of Hangang Park, this study explored the context of its history and the way in which public park is defined and appropriated by its users.
In order to study above questions, primary data were obtained through interviews, field note taking and literature review. Additionally, newspaper and texts of message board on related web sites were examined.
The content analysis of these data generated a series of themes into the cultural underpinning of Hangang Park.
And results are as follows.
Before developed, the Han river was familiar place to the citizen of Seoul as ecological and leisure space. Have going through the process of compressed modernity of Korea, the diverse aspects of Han river such as an ecological or a leisure space were totally deconstructed.
The riverside of Han river, which was isolated as result of urban modernization, had a good chance to be reformed in a productive way. The ‘88 Seoul Olympic was there.
Seoul, the 24th Olympic host city, was required to complete beautiful views of city so that it could meet its improved reputation as well as international standard. Preparing '88 Olympic game, riverside of Han river was formed as public park especially for sport activities and it was the concept of 'Sport for All' represented in material space.
The geographical characteristics of Hangang Park show that the urban modernization affected significantly on the spatial structure and material settings such as apartment complexes and riverside roads influenced on the social construction of Hangang Park.
The social construction part of this study deals with the subjects like how Hangang Park are being used and what is class distinction of the users. The results from this study show that Hangang Park is favorable for members of club activities and group of residents living near by the park and might be said that the park is the space produced for such class and population in reality.
Main users of Hangang Park redefine and reorganize the meaning of the park by continuously interacting with others. As outcomes of this study point out, every phenomenal world is the achievement of active individuals and social group which is quite different with the governmental or capitalistic power.
In particular, people participating in inline-skating and bicycling are not passive any more. They are active enough to give a definition to the park they are using. These people are so reasonable and positive on the matter of the way they use the park and the way they solve the problems. In addition, they make and practice regulations to use or share the limited space efficiently rather than isolate or exclude each other. Sometimes they take steps to maintain public order by themselves.
Sport activity participants in Hangang Park utilize it as a space of identity, distinction or interaction and also the meaning of the park led by these people is being reconstructed. This is a place distinctive in post-modern era, so called "space of agent".
Public park is continuously reconstructed through users daily practices. Members of sport club in Hangang Park are main users who continuously reconstruct the meaning of public park and its image as sporting space.