• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.85-94
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• 2013

This research investigates and characterizes lifestyles and housing preferences of Korean-American Baby Boomers in the USA, and proposes future housing design and planning directions to meet their needs. A questionnaire survey was conducted from June to September 2012 examining lifestyles and preferred characteristics of postretirement homes. We targeted Korean-Americans born from 1955 to 1963 in either Korea or the USA who currently reside in New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and San Francisco. To analyze the 247 responses, we employed factor analysis, cluster analysis, one-way ANOVA, and crosstabs. Respondents preferred three-bedroom, singlefamily housing types with a size of 26-35 pyong, favoring city outskirts or suburbs over urban areas. Four groups having different lifestyle types were identified: innovators, believers, fashion experiencers, and makers. Housing preference differed depending on lifestyle types. The 'innovator' group desired homes 56 pyong or larger, while the other groups preferred 26-36 pyong. The four lifestyle groups did not show statistically significant differences in most of preferred housing features, community facilities, or indoor environmental characteristics. Each group still showed slightly different preferences in some housing planning characteristics, which future planners can refer to when providing postretirement homes for them.