The industrial complex was constructed during the 1970s and 1980s. It led to local economic growth in Korea and increased the growth rate of each city. Many residential areas were therefore needed, and thus expanded into the areas adjacent to the industrial complex. However, the industrial complex contained problems such as traffic congestion, environmental pollution, lack of infrastructure, and deterioration that negatively affected nearby cities. An urban heat island then resulted from climate change. Here, the industrial area was revealed as one of the contributing heat sources. People are deeply worried about these urban problems.
Young people and workers engaged in manufacturing and outdoor industries are suffering as a result of these changes. The Korean Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC) reported that a total of 4,526 people suffered heat-related illness in 2018. Of these incidents, 48 resulted in death. This is the highest rate since the surveillance system was introduced in 2012. High proportions of children and elderly live in these areas (30%), followed by the unemployed (18%), and manufacturing workers (16%).
Many studies have analyzed urban development activities that contribute to the rising urban heat island effect. Several studies have shown the diverse impacts of land use on urban temperature.
Commercial and industrial areas with dense populations engaged in land use showed a high LST (43°
C in summer) (Jusuf, S. K., et al, 2007). Industrial areas have especially poor physical environments with low NDVI and high building-coverage rates (Kim, J. et al., 2015). These areas also have high heat flux values due to large amounts of energy consumption (Chakraborty, S. D., et al., 2015). Industrial areas contain the highest LSTs where there is little vegetation in surrounding free space areas (1%), and the lowest LSTs in “green” areas (Rotem-Mindali, O., et al, 2015). Industrial areas also contribute to high temperatures and LST in urban areas because they generate significant heat.
Increased urban heat is aggravated by climate change. It has worsened the thermal environment in
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manufacturing workplaces and decreased productivity (Kjellstrom, T., & Crowe, J. 2011). The old industrial areas are more vulnerable to rising temperatures due to poor physical conditions. The old industrial complex exhibits deterioration due to the division of land parcels into smaller areas and changing occupancy types. Since the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been active in Korea, industries requiring large-scale parcels have moved or gone bankrupt. Small and medium companies have thus begun to occupy large land parcels (Song, J. 2008; Kang, H. 2009). As a result, the proportion of small companies involved in Korea's manufacturing industry has steadily increased, moving from 86.7% in 2005 to 94% in 2017 (Bae, et al, 2017, Open data portal, 2017).
This increasing cluster of very small companies has led to several problems, such as a lack of parking spaces and increased demand for limited support facilities. Land prices have also risen because the old industrial complex is adjacent to the city center. Existing companies have thus begun to lease factories, thereby increasing the number of small businesses. The 2017 Survey of Small and Medium Business indicated that the lease ratio of medium companies was 16.7%, while the rate for small companies was 29.0%, and 50.3% for very small companies.
Unlike the general public, industrial workers are exposed to stronger heat for longer periods (Tawatsupa, B. et al., 2010). Even though workers are engaged in the same type of industrial work, the deterioration of the industrial environment and the rise of urban temperatures as a result of climate change may lead to different levels of high heat exposure depending on company size and physical environment. In Korea, the average wage level according to company size revealed big differences;
very small companies registered at 242.8 thousand won, while small and medium companies registered at 319.5 thousand won, and large companies registered at 589.9 thousand won (Employment Labor Statistics, 2017). This led to different industrial accident rates (i.e., 1.24% for very small companies and 0.27% for large companies).
Industrial areas are major sources of urban heat. While many workers have engaged in such work for long periods of time, few studies have conducted micro-scale analyses of the thermal differences by considering the physical and industrial environments of the old industrial complex. Despite the relationship between the external and internal factors of these industrial areas, their characteristics were not considered during attempts to explain thermal inequality. It is therefore necessary to identify vulnerable heat environments within these industrial areas in addition to analyzing whether vulnerable social classes and vulnerable physical environments are located in the adjacent areas by considering the external factors.
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This study analyzed different heat environments among equal buildings (EQB) according to company size. This was accomplished by considering the industrial and physical characteristics of EQBs to reveal thermal inequity in adjacent neighborhoods, where vulnerable characteristics seem to result in high LST.
I. Do equal buildings (EQBs) occupied by very small companies in vulnerable heat environments differ compared to EQBs occupied by companies of other sizes?
II. Are LST differences the result of EQB size (i.e., smaller EQBs exhibit higher LST)?
III. What relationship does high LST in EQBs located in the old industrial complex have with vulnerable physical and sociodemographic characteristics in neighboring areas?
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