Study of Urban Land Cover Changes Relative to Demographic and Residential Form Changes: A Case Study of Wonju City, Korea

In many very high density cities in Asia in which there is limited area to expand, growth is forced upward as well as outward. Densely packed detached houses and low-rise buildings are replaced by lower density high-rises, leaving open spaces between high-rise buildings. Through this process, areas that formerly did not have much green space gain valuable green spaces, and new ecological corridors and patches are created. In this study, the demographic and housing-type changes of Wonju City were delineated using land use maps, aerial images, census data, and other administrative data. Green area changes were calculated using land cover data derived from multi-year Landsat TM satellite imagery. The values were then compared against demographic and housing-type changes for each administrative unit. The overall results showed a decrease of forested area in the city and an increase of developed area. Urban sprawl was clearly visible in many of the suburban areas. However, as expected, we also detected areas in which greenness did not decrease when the population greatly increased. These areas were characterized by residential building complexes of ten or more stories. If an equal number of housing units had been built as detached houses, these areas would not have kept as much green space. Our research result showed that high-density and high-rise residential structures can offer an alternative means to protect or create urban green spaces in high-density urban environments.