An Investigation about Housing Attitudes of Korean Residents in American Apartment Houses

  • Yim, Mi Sook (Housing & Urban Research Institute, Korea National Housing Corporation)
  • Received : 2004.01.29
  • Published : 2005.12.30

Abstract

When people encounter a new cultural housing setting, their housing attitudes are more changeable and complicated than when they enter a new housing environment in the same culture. The purpose of this study was to identify cultural impacts on housing attitudes, and to find the new design concepts based on the Koreans living experience in American apartments. Data were collected by the questionnaires of 125 Koreans who live in apartment houses in Pittsburgh. According to Korean common housing attitudes and transition by the time variable, the period of residence in the US, this research found that Korean residents' housing attitudes consist of unchanged cultural factors that have been the basic design concepts of Korean style apartments, changeable mixed factors that can be used to diversify Korean apartments, and changed desired factors that will be applied to new design concepts. Also, this research showed different housing attitudes by marital status and rent. This information may be helpful to Korean housing experts who have tried to improve apartments, and it is possible that American professionals can provide more suitable housing to fit minorities' unique living patterns in America.

Keywords

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