Urban versus rural disparities in amenity proximity and housing price: the case of integrated urban–rural city, Sejong, South Korea

Due to the growing importance of accessibility to urban amenities on quality of life and neighborhood satisfaction in South Korea, various efforts have been made to improve accessibility to urban amenities by establishing a minimum standard, an approach called Living Social Overhead Capital (Living SOC); for example, one such standards states that an elementary school should be reachable within a 15-min walk. However, these endeavors have not yet resulted in an equal distribution of Living SOC in urban and rural areas. Many residents feel the disparity of Living SOC is greatest in areas where the rural city was incorporated into an adjacent urban city—often called an integrated urban–rural city—or when new towns were developed in rural cities. This situation can lead to the creation of dissimilar landscapes and infrastructure within a single city. As such, this research observes how the resultant disparity in proximity between urban and rural areas impacts neighborhood satisfaction, as reflected in housing prices. The outcomes indicate that, with the exception of senior care and education, all observed amenities were found to be located closer to residences in urban areas. Additionally, the closer the Living SOC, the higher the housing prices. The findings of this study posit an urgent need for a comprehensive Living SOC plan for entire cities, not only for newly developed areas, to avoid widening the existing gap between urban and rural Living SOC.