Spatial Analysis of Abandoned Houses and Their Influencing Factors in South Korea

• Main Authors: Heesun Joo, Soyeong Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: abandoned houses; spatial characteristics of abandoned houses; environmentally vulnerable places
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/18/8576

The number of abandoned houses is rapidly growing across South Korea. The increasing number of abandoned houses is directly linked to a wide range of problems in communities, such as apprehension about crimes. This study aimed to analyze the variables that affect housing abandonment empirically. First, we analyzed the status of housing abandonment in various regions based on the addresses of the abandoned houses. Second, we identified the spatial characteristics of abandoned houses through spatial autocorrelation analysis. Third, we selected variables based on the literature review and analyzed the factors affecting housing abandonment through spatial regression analysis. Lastly, we aimed to explore the correlation between regional characteristics and the occurrence of housing abandonment, and to derive the factors influencing housing abandonment. This study found that abandoned houses were more likely to occur mainly in areas with environmentally vulnerable features. In this study, neighborhood environmental factors that promoted the occurrence of abandoned houses were derived by considering the neighborhood-level unit of analysis.