• Spatial Information Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.251-259
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• 2009

As a result of the current trend towards promoting conservation of the ecosystem, there have been various studies conducted to determine ways to establish an ecological network. The development of analytical methods and an environmental database of GIS has made the creation of this network more efficient. This study focuses on the development of an urban spatial decision support system based on 'Landscape Ecology Theory'. The spatial decision support system suggested in this study consists of four stages. First, landscape patch for the core areas, which are major structures of the ecological network, was determined using the GIS overlay method. Second, a forest habitat was investigated to determine connectivity assessment. Using the gravity model, connectivity assessment at the habitat forest was conducted to select the needed connecting area. Third, the most suitable corridor routes for the eco-network were presented using the least-cost path analysis. Finally, a brief investigation was conducted to determine the conflict areas between the study result and landuse. The results of this study can be applied to urban green network planning. Moreover, the method developed in this study can be utilized to control urban sprawl, promote biodiversity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.25-38
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• 2022

Urban problems are constantly occurring around the world due to rapid industrialization and population decline. In particular, as the number of vacant houses is gradually increasing as the population decreases, it is necessary to prepare countermeasures. A plan to utilize vacant houses has emerged to restore the natural environment of the urban ecosystem where forest destruction, damage to habitats of wild animals and plants, and disconnection have occurred due to large-scale development. Through connectivity analysis, it is possible to understand the overall ecosystem flow based on the movement of species and predict the effect when vacant houses are converted into green spaces. Therefore, this study analyzed the green area network to confirm the possibility of greening of vacant houses neglected in Jeonju based on circuit theory. Using Circuitscape and Least-cost path, we tried to identify the connectivity of green areas and propose an ecological axis based on the analysis. In order to apply the resistance values required for analysis based on previous studies, the 2020 subdivision land cover data were integrated into the major classification evaluation items. When the eight forests in the target site were analyzed as the standard, the overall connectivity and connectivity between forests in the area were high, so it is judged that the existing green areas can perform various functions, such as species movement and provision of habitats. Based on the results of the connectivity analysis, the importance of vacant houses was calculated and the top 20 vacant houses were identified, and it was confirmed that the higher the ranking, the more positive the degree of landscape connectivity was when converted to green areas. In addition, it was confirmed that the results of analyzing the least-cost path based on the resistance values such as connectivity analysis and the existing conceptual map showed some differences when comparing the ecological axes in the form. As a result of checking the vacant houses corresponding to the relevant axis based on the width standards of the main and sub-green areas, a total of 30 vacant houses were included in the 200m width and 6 vacant houses in the 80m width. It is judged that the conversion of vacant houses to green space can contribute to biodiversity conservation as well as connectivity between habitats of species as it is coupled with improved green space connectivity. In addition, it is expected to help solve the problem of vacant houses in the future by showing the possibility of using vacant houses.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.1
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• pp.22-34
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• 2021

The implementation of the sunset provision of unexecuted urban parks in Seoul has been postponed; however, the mentioned parks still remain vulnerable since they can be subject to development under certain circumstances. Local governments may purchase the parks to prevent their loss but are constrained due to limited resources. The purpose of this study is to prioritize the purchase of unexecuted urban parks in Seoul based on landscape connectivity, which represents the important role of allowing the movement of wildlife and providing biodiversity in urban environments. In this study, we used four potential scenarios (PB100, PB1, PA100, PA1), which reflects the degree of land cover change resulting from the implementation of the sunset provision, and the role of Han River as a conduit or barrier for wildlife movement. Landscape connectivity was evaluated by calculating current flow betweenness centrality (CFBC). This was used to rank the importance of the unexecuted urban parks in Seoul. The results demonstrated that the implementation of the sunset provision will greatly decrease the connectivity of all parks in Seoul and particularly more so for parks in the southern part of the city. In addition, the results suggested that the low connectivity of Han river will diminish the connectivity around Bukhansan Mountain in the northern part of Seoul. Our study can be used for the prioritization of purchase, since it has the ability to evaluate the anticipated vulnerability of each park's connectivity after the sunset provision.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.107-117
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• 2013

Problems in regard of ecological stability of urban ecosystem ensue from climate change and urbanization. Particularly, urban ecological conditions are deteriorating both quantitatively and qualitatively to a great extent. The present study aims to assess the current condition of selected sites (i. e. urban green zones and parks) in terms of preset assessment components; to find out problems and relevant solutions to improve the quality and quantity of parks and green zones; and ultimately to suggest some measures applicable to coping with climate change as well as to securing the ecological attributes of urban green zones and parks. According to the findings of this study, from quantitative perspectives, ecological attributes and responsiveness to climate change are high on account of the large natural-soil area(80%). By contrast, from qualitative perspectives including the planting structure (1 layer: 47%), the percentage of bush area(17%), the connectivity with surrounding green zones (independent types: 44%), the wind paths considered (5.6%), the tree species with high carbon absorption rates (20%), water cycles (17%), energy (8%) and carbon storage capacities(61%), ecological attributes and responsiveness to climate change were found very low. These findings suggest that the ecological values of urban parks and green zones should be improved in the future by conserving their original forms, securing natural-soil grounds and employing multi-layered planting structures and water bodies, and that responsiveness to climate change should be enhanced by planting tree species with high carbon storage capacities and obtaining detention ponds. In sum, robust efforts should be exerted in the initial planning stages, and sustained, to apply the methodology of green-zone development along with securing ecological attributes and responsiveness to climate change.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Biology Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.1-5
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• 2003

In order to prepare a basis for ecological restoration of the Seoul Metropolitan area, ecological diagnoses on soil physico-chemical properties and vegetation structure were carried out. Land use patterns, actual vegetation, and biotope patterns were also investigated based on aerial photograph interpretation and field checks. I formulated landscape elements overlaying those data and evaluated the ecological value of each element. Soil pollution was evaluated by analyzing soil samples collected in each grid on the mesh map, divided by 2km $\times$ 2km intervals. Soil samples were collected in forests or grasslands escaped from direct human interference. Soil pollution evaluated from pH, and SO$_4$, Ca, Mg, and Al contents of soil was more severe in the urban outskirts than in the urban center. Those soil environmental factors showed significant correlation with each other. Vegetation in the urban area was different in species composition from that in suburban areas and showed lower diversity compared with that in the suburban areas. Successional process investigated by population structure of major species also showed a difference. That is, successional trend was normal in suburban areas, but that in urban areas showed a retrogressive pattern. The landscape ecological map of Seoul indicates that the urban center lacks vegetation and greenery space is restricted in urban outskirts. Such an uneven distribution of vegetation has caused a specific urban climate and thereby contributed to aggravation of air and soil pollution, furthermore causing vegetation decline. From this result, it was estimated that such uneven distribution of vegetation functioned as a trigger factor to deteriorate the urban environment. I suggested, therefore, a restoration plan based on landscape ecological principles, which emphasizes connectivity and even distribution of green areas throughout the whole area of the Seoul to solve this complex environmental problem. In this restoration plan, first of all, I decided the priority order for connection of the fragmented greenery spaces based on the distances from the core reserves comprised of green belt and rivers, which play roles as habitats of wildlife as well as for improvement of urban environment. Next, I prepared methods to restore each landscape element included in the paths of green network to be constructed in the future on the bases of such preferential order. Rivers and roads, which hold good connectivity, were chosen as elements to play important roles in constructing green network by linking the fragmented greenery spaces.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.618-634
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• 2018

This study examined ecological network change affected by the 2020 invalidation of decisions on urban parks with a focus on Busan. The analyses were conducted to five scenarios using FRAGSTATS. The green space in scenario 1 assuming all development for unexecuted urban park would decrease by 7,339.75 ha compared to scenario 5, which assumes the entire conservation of unexecuted urban parks, and the fragmentation of the ecological space in scenario 1 increased. In scenario 1, 8.06% of the total area of core habitats and 28.23% of connectivity would decrease. However, scenario 3, which assumes the conservation of environmentally sensitive areas of unexecuted urban parks, can achieve 94% of green space and 95.6% of the connectivity of the scenario 5. Scenario 3 has effects similar to scenario 5 in terms of defragmentation. Thus, conservation of environmentally sensitive areas in parks is critical and effective in maintaining ecological networks.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.35-50
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• 2023

As urbanization progresses, there is a growing and continuous demand for green spaces that provide ecosystem services. However, increasing the quantity of green spaces within major cities is challenging. Therefore, it is essential to pursue qualitative improvements that consider ecological characteristics of existing green spaces. In this study, we focus on local neighborhood parks in Seoul and present the following two questions through an evaluation utilizing ecological design indicators and land use data: 1. Which factor, design or location, has a greater influence on the ecological quality of neighborhood parks in Seoul? 2. Additionally, when evaluating ecological characteristics, is there similarity between assessments based on land-use data and those utilizing ecological design indicators? For this study, we conducted research on 30 neighborhood parks in Seoul and classified them into mountainous types (adjacent to mountains, natural terrain parks) and urban types (independently designed within 300m without existing forests) based on previous studies. Firstly, we conducted evaluations according to park location types. When comparing the evaluation scores of urban types (14 parks) and mountainous types (16 parks), significant differences were observed with scores of 16.86 and 35.94, respectively. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between park types. In terms of habitat quality, the average values for urban and mountainous parks were 0.33 and 0.53, respectively, and statistically significant differences were observed between park types indicating differences in ecological potential according to park location. Secondly, when comparing the results of ecological potential evaluations based on park design and external connectivity, a correlation was found between habitat quality and total scores according to evaluation indicators. The correlation analysis showed significant linear relationships between habitat quality and total scores, biodiversity scores, and ecosystem function scores, with high positive correlation coefficients of 0.829, 0.861, and 0.802, respectively. This study holds significance in analyzing the ecological aspects of urban parks through the lens of both park location characteristics and design indicators. The analysis results underscore the importance of planning and managing ecologically sound urban parks contingent upon their location. Moreover, the utilization of appropriate ecological design indicators can help alleviate environmental limitations surrounding parks. Integrating these considerations could enhance the ecological quality and ecosystem services of urban green spaces.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.120-130
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to propose cognitive ecological effects of fractal patterns in space design. This study investigated the perception and cognition problems regarding landscape patterns showing fractal properties from the cognitive perspective instead of the traditional speculative approach. In particular, the researcher has verified that fractal geometry theory and fractal pattern concept provide insight in space aesthetic values and cognitive effects. Research results are as follows. First, most environmentally-friendly fractal urban forms provide cognitive connectivity. In particular, this space provides a positive emotional response and preference to humans and displays self-organized complexity. This study found that such complexity of space form has characteristics corresponding to parallel cognitive structures of the human brain. Simultaneously, the researcher suggests that the fractal landscape pattern is an alternative for stiff and homogenized modern space. Second, fractal patterns provide hierarchical connectivity within the brain through continuous difference and repetition. In particular, self-similarities of fractal patterns administer significant visual grouping and coherence in human perception. It can be determined whether scaling coherence facilitates easier organization in cognitive organization. Third, fractal patterns in space design provide the basic method for achieving the connection between concept, construction, and urban factors. As a result, the researcher has suggested that scale distribution of geometrical factors, such as fractal patterns, an be a design method to connect various space typologies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.104-113
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• 2008

The importance of the green space in urban area has been increasing. There are the increasing needs of creation and sustainable management of urban forest. In order to satisfy the need, it is necessary to set indicators for sustainable urban forest. With this regard, this study is to derive the indicators for evaluation of the urban forest through literature reviews, experts opinion, and field survey. The results of the study, the indicators consist of the ecological healthiness, socio-cultural function, and scenic beauty. The ecological healthiness includes stability and naturality (e.g. area, native species, connectivity etc.). The socio-cultural function contain improvement of living environment, stable emotion, community, and environmental education. The scenic beauty includes environmental-friendly facilities, maintenance of urban forest. The indicators have high feasibility to create and manage the urban forest through evaluating urban forest in practical. This indicators are useful to guide to develop urban forest and park.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.275-286
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• 2019

In order to prevent local extinction of organisms and to preserve biodiversity, it is important to ensure connectivity between habitats. Even if the habitat is exposed to various disturbance factors, it is possible to avoid or respond to disturbances if they are linked to other habitats. Habitat connectivity can be assessed from a variety of perspectives, but the importance of functional connectivity based on species movement has been emphasized in recent years due to the development of computational capabilities and related software. Among them, Circuitscape, which is a connectivity evaluation tool, has an advantage it can provide detailed reference data for the city planning because it maps ecological flows on individual grid based on circuit theory. Therefore, in this study, the functional connectivity of Suwon was evaluated by applying Circuitscape and then, the ecological corridor to be conserved and supplemented was suggested based on it. The results of this study are expected to effectively complement the methodology related ecological corridor/axis, which was previously provided only in the form of a diagram, and to be effective in management of development project and urban planning.