162
SUMMARY
Socio-spatial Features of Inadequate Housing and Policy Measures for Basement Dwellers
Lee Hoobin, Park Miseon, Lee Bokung, Go Younghwa, Lee Sungho, Lee Wonkyung
Key words: Basement Housing, Inadequate Housing, Housing Policy, Low-rise Residential District, Housing Support
There has been growing attention over semi-basement living after the Oscars success of Bong Joon-ho’s film, named “Parasite" which describes and contradicts the different living conditions in Korea. The semi-basement, known as ‘banjiha' can trace its root to the 1970s when the government mandated that basements be built to serve as bunkers in case of military attack from North Korea. However, after the influx of rural to urban migration along with no prominent sign of military action, basement dwellings provide a cheap place to live for those seeking jobs in Seoul where struggles a chronic housing shortage.
As housing prices surged, the basements have become the last resort for those who could not mobilize lump sum deposit to live in the above-ground dwelling units. On the contrary to the public attention, the public sector did not put enough endeavors to tackle the basement living conditions. This research starts with this void of policy.
The study aims to provide policy measures by investigating the housing issues
SUMMARY ․ 163 of basement dwellers. Research inquires encompass the questions of who lives there, why they choose, where they concentrate, and how they end up living there either voluntarily or involuntarily. To answer these questions, the authors analyze the socio-economic features of inadequate housing inhabitants, physical conditions of inadequate housing, and spatial concentration of basement units.
Socio-economic status reveals that inhabitants of basement units are not the most underprivileged group that requires policy attention. However, when physical conditions and location are considered with housing satisfaction of indoor living conditions, they tend to choose locational advantages in the expense of physical living conditions in one way. On the other hand, living in a basement also entails a relatively high rent burden compared to their income level. Therefore, basement living could be the result of voluntary choice in pursuit of location over housing conditions with a high burden of the monthly rent. These findings are also confirmed by the field survey conducted in areas with a concentration of basement dwelling units in the Seoul Metropolitan Area.
Policy measures should be placed for households with children living in basement units because poor living conditions could be fatal to the health of children and long-lasting when they expose to and reside in the conditions of moisture, poor ventilation, odors, and inadequate sunlight. The statistical analysis supports the legitimacy of public support since it is rare to find out moving upward from basement to ground level housing while the vice versa could happen in the shock of economic loss.
Based on the findings, the authors offer several policy proposals as follows;
support for upward mobility of low-income households with children, housing subsidy program for excessive rent burden of low-income households in the private market; selective expelling strategy of basement dwelling with poor conditions from the lucrative rental market; and providing alternatives of
164
basement dwellings as the last resort for urban poor. The former two strategies could be effective in the short run while the latter two actions should be placed in the long run with caution. One of the policy goals should be as such: “Leave No One Live in the Basement Anymore in This Country”.
