Speaker
Description
A major problem associated with large-scale public housing is social exclusion. Large-scale standalone public housing complexes concentrate poverty and stand out compared to market-rate housing. In such environments, ordinary people may develop prejudices against public housing, causing public housing residents to experience discrimination. Referring to residents living in 'Humansia,' which is a brand name of public housing complexes, as “Humansia beggars” exemplifies discrimination and social exclusion against public housing residents in Korea. While social integration is crucial for sustainable community development (Galster et al. 2008), experiences of discrimination can affect public housing residents’ sense of social integration.
In addressing issues of social exclusion, various mixed-income developments have been designed to promote social mixing in Korea. Representatively, social-mix housing complexes integrate public housing alongside market-rate housing within the same housing complex. Buy-to-rent public housing naturally promotes social mixing by providing public housing within low-rise residential areas surrounded by market-rate housing.
Given that studies find mixed-income development impacts socio-economic (e.g., Jun and Jeong 2018; Gaster et al. 2008) and psychological (e.g., Jun and Han 2021) outcomes compared to standalone public housing complexes, public housing residents may experience different levels of discrimination depending on the type of mixed-income community. Consequently, experiences of discrimination among public housing residents may lead to differing perceptions of social integration, which positions discrimination experience as a mediator between mixed-income development and perceptions of social integration. Despite the importance of social integration as a crucial value for sustainable development, only a few studies (e.g., Kang and Koo 2024) have examined how mixed-income development is related to discrimination experience among public housing residents and subsequently affect perceptions of social integration.
This study aims to examine how the different types of mixtures between public housing and market-rate housing affect experiences of discrimination among public housing residents and how these experiences influence perceptions of social integration. We utilize data from the 2019 Seoul Public Housing Residents Panel Study, conducted by the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH). The dependent variable is the perceived importance of social integration among public housing residents, which are mediated by experiences of discrimination. The primary independent variable is the mixture type between public housing and market-rate housing, including standalone public housing complexes, social-mix housing complexes, and buy-to-rent public housing. Control variables comprise housing characteristics, neighborhood environments, and household characteristics. The path analysis shows that the mixture type between public housing and market-rate housing is associated with varying levels of perceptions of social integration, mediated by experiences of discrimination.
References
Jun, H. J., & Jeong, H. (2018). Residential satisfaction among public housing residents living in social-mix housing complexes: The case of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea. Urban policy and research, 36(3), 319-335.
Jun, H. J., & Han, S. (2020). The effect of discrimination on stress among public housing residents: A comparative study between social-mix and independent public housing complexes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6788.
Kang, S., & Koo, J. H. (2024). Exploring stigma experiences of scattered-site public housing residents and its characteristics based on social contact theory. PloS one, 19(11), e0313005.
| Keywords | social exclusion; public housing; discrimination; social mix |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
