Urban Sprawl Index and the Factors Affecting It: A Comparison of Korea and China

The purpose of this study is to find the factors affecting urban sprawl in Korea and China and to determine the similarities and differences between them. This study employed statistical analysis, including correlation and multiple regression analysis in order to do this. The major findings are the following. In the case of Korea, some cities show a very high degree of urban sprawl while some show decreasing urban sprawl. There is a wide range of trends in Korea though urban sprawl is not as serious as expected. The trend is slightly different in China, although urban sprawl is still occurring at a high rate. Korea has more cities becoming more compact. It is not the case in either Korea or China that urban sprawl is caused by the condition of developed roads in contradiction to American cases where urban sprawl has been expedited mainly through the development of highways. This is also related to the close relationship between professionals and urban sprawl (more in the case of Korea than China) as more professionals may want to enjoy both urban and rural life simultaneously by using more roads. Housing price is closely related to urban sprawl in the case of China, but weakly so in the case of Korea. Mobility is closely related to regional gross production in China, but is closely related to aging population and professionals in Korea.