A Study on the Spatio-temporal Changes of Urban Functional Centers in Chungju City : Focusing on Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Functions

This study investigates the dynamic process of internal spatial restructuring hidden behind the seemingly stable aggregate population of a regional mid-sized city. Taking Chungju, South Korea, as a case study, it simultaneously analyzes the process of polycentric transition from a macro perspective and the characteristics of internal restructuring within the downtown district from a micro perspective. To this end, spatial data related to residential, commercial, and industrial functions from 2000 to 2023 were constructed on 500m and 100m grids, and the spatio-temporal changes of functional centers were quantitatively measured using Getis-Ord Gi (Hotspot) analysis. The analysis revealed that, over the past two decades, Chungju has transitioned from a monocentric structure to a functionally diff erentiated polycentric city with specialized residential and industrial functions. In this process, the existing downtown district underwent a qualitative restructuring: its quantitative share of the citys overall functional centers decreased, while its intensity of centrality, signifying the density of core functions, was strengthened. However, the micro-level analysis discovered that behind this transformation lies a repeating zero-sum redistribution pattern, where new large-scale housing developments induce the decline of existing areas. The findings suggest that for mid-sized cities like Chungju, urban planning must move beyond setting a merely declarative polycentric structure. It needs to advance toward a qualitative management of the network and a development paradigm centered on internal reorganization to eff ectively manage the negative side eff ects that emerge in reality.