Growth of Small and Intermediate Cities in Korea, 1975-1980

Abstract

The reversal of population migration from metropolitan areas to nonmetropolitan areas in Korea, even though it is incipient, has been accompanied by the decentralization of sustenance organization from metropolitan areas. This paper examines the urban growth of 33 small and intermediate Korean cities during 1975-1980 from the ecological perspective. Using the multiple regression analysis, population growth of a city is measured by variables such as industrial structure, distance from a metropolitan city, and educational level of residents in a corresponding city. At the present development stage in Korea, those cities whose industrial structure is more specialized in the transformative sector rather than other sectors have grown more rapidly. The closeness to a metropolitan city and the educational level of residents for each city strongly influence urban growth of small cities.