That's a really interesting perspective and contrast to the Australian attitude to apartments.
There's a difference between the shared space within the complexes, and the shared public space open to all. In Australia, a lot of people think of the big shopping centres as public space but it's really private space. They exclude people who aren't there to shop and often children and teenagers who just want a place to meet their friends.
I completely agree with your last point. There are far too few places where children can feel welcomed without having to spend money. It’s a similar situation in Korea. Apartment complexes may offer open spaces for residents, but they remain spaces of exclusion for others. It’s truly heartbreaking to see how access to communal spaces is increasingly restricted to those who can afford it.
Your point about shopping centres is a great one Gayle. Being a parent to three teenage children, I really noticed the drop off in availability of public spaces available and interesting to my kids after the age of about 12. Before that age, there is a plethora of freely accessible parks and beautiful open spaces but, there is very little for bigger kids, apart from maybe skate parks. And I feel that safe spaces for girls are even less available which sees them end up at the shopping centre as the default, further fuelling the stereotypes and entrenched consumer culture that I observe amongst most of the young girls I come across.
I think our suburbs with poor public transport are really hostile to children and teens. They are too young to drive so are reliant on parents playing taxi rather than being able to develop their independence by getting places themselves. And any "youth" walking or riding down the street, or hanging about in the park, even worse a group of them, is likely to be branded suspicous on the local facebook groups.
Thanks for sharing this perspective. It is so fascinating to see how similar issues and values manifest themselves differently in South Korea. While you talk about exclusivity in apartment buildings, we talk about exclusivity in suburbs. We have the same issues with poorer and younger people being pushed to the extremities because of affordability, although perhaps we are not as far down the track in terms of physically excluding people from what may otherwise be considered public spaces. I think it is a manifestation of the same set of issues but just had to take the shape it has in South Korea due to land constraints. I'm curious as to what it is about humans that we seek 'exclusivity'? Is it some evolutionary thing, like survival of the fittest? Who can explain this?
Your question about why humans seek exclusivity is thought-provoking. It may indeed have roots in an evolutionary survival instinct, but I wonder if it’s also reinforced by the structure of modern society, which emphasises competition and status. When wealth is equated with social value, it seems natural for spaces to become symbols of that hierarchy. The challenge lies in finding ways to reimagine our spaces, prioritising inclusivity and shared value over exclusivity. I hope that these small efforts of ours—such as discussing the same topic from different perspectives, etc.—will serve as steps towards bringing about even a little change.
That's a really interesting perspective and contrast to the Australian attitude to apartments.
There's a difference between the shared space within the complexes, and the shared public space open to all. In Australia, a lot of people think of the big shopping centres as public space but it's really private space. They exclude people who aren't there to shop and often children and teenagers who just want a place to meet their friends.
I completely agree with your last point. There are far too few places where children can feel welcomed without having to spend money. It’s a similar situation in Korea. Apartment complexes may offer open spaces for residents, but they remain spaces of exclusion for others. It’s truly heartbreaking to see how access to communal spaces is increasingly restricted to those who can afford it.
Your point about shopping centres is a great one Gayle. Being a parent to three teenage children, I really noticed the drop off in availability of public spaces available and interesting to my kids after the age of about 12. Before that age, there is a plethora of freely accessible parks and beautiful open spaces but, there is very little for bigger kids, apart from maybe skate parks. And I feel that safe spaces for girls are even less available which sees them end up at the shopping centre as the default, further fuelling the stereotypes and entrenched consumer culture that I observe amongst most of the young girls I come across.
I think our suburbs with poor public transport are really hostile to children and teens. They are too young to drive so are reliant on parents playing taxi rather than being able to develop their independence by getting places themselves. And any "youth" walking or riding down the street, or hanging about in the park, even worse a group of them, is likely to be branded suspicous on the local facebook groups.
Thanks for sharing this perspective. It is so fascinating to see how similar issues and values manifest themselves differently in South Korea. While you talk about exclusivity in apartment buildings, we talk about exclusivity in suburbs. We have the same issues with poorer and younger people being pushed to the extremities because of affordability, although perhaps we are not as far down the track in terms of physically excluding people from what may otherwise be considered public spaces. I think it is a manifestation of the same set of issues but just had to take the shape it has in South Korea due to land constraints. I'm curious as to what it is about humans that we seek 'exclusivity'? Is it some evolutionary thing, like survival of the fittest? Who can explain this?
Your question about why humans seek exclusivity is thought-provoking. It may indeed have roots in an evolutionary survival instinct, but I wonder if it’s also reinforced by the structure of modern society, which emphasises competition and status. When wealth is equated with social value, it seems natural for spaces to become symbols of that hierarchy. The challenge lies in finding ways to reimagine our spaces, prioritising inclusivity and shared value over exclusivity. I hope that these small efforts of ours—such as discussing the same topic from different perspectives, etc.—will serve as steps towards bringing about even a little change.