Morphological Adaptation Types of Small-industrial Clusters to Traditional Urban Tissue - The 2000s′ Gold Jewelry Manufacturing in Seoul CBD, Korea

Abstract

This study tries to explain how small-scale gold jewelry mills adapted themselves to Seoul′s existing urban tissues, which were the residential area in the CBD. There are four manufacturing processes; designing and engraving, waxing and casting, and cutting and polishing. Firstly, three morphological cluster types could be identified in respect to the gold jewelry firms′ location; circulation type, finger type, and agglomeration type. Secondly, the robustness of the urban form elements (land use, buildings, plots, and streets) varied respectively. Small gold manufacturing firms of the circulation and finger type could easily adapt themselves to the existing urban tissues without new building construction. However, a few plots in the agglomeration type merged. A few old buildings in the merged plots were destroyed and were built into a new big one in which all gold processes could be carried out. The distance between shop and factory was generally farther than with other types. Finally, the existing street patterns influenced the clustering adaptation of small gold mills. Most of the buildings of the circulation type and finger type were located along dead-end streets and back lanes without changing the street patterns.

Keywords

• morphological adaptation types
• traditional urban tissue
• small-industrial cluster of gold jewelry
• longevity of town-plan elements