Evaluating Ways to Form a Sense of Community in a Shrinking City: The Case of the Media Culture Center, Seocheon, South Korea

Abstract

The objective of this study was to promote communal spirit through cultural space in a shrinking city. To achieve this, the study tracked the operation method of the Media Culture Center in Seocheon of South Korea; collected data by interviewing stakeholders, such as operators, participants, and residents; and analyzed the data using an open coding method. The results of this study showed that it was necessary to (1) provide appropriate services for the region, (2) support cultural activities aimed at common goals, and (3) serve as a stronghold for regional governance to promote communal spirit through a cultural space. The results suggested the following implications when forming communal spirit in a shrinking city. First, it is possible to form communal spirit in a shrinking city through a cultural space; operating a program that can help people overcome geographical limitations is necessary for this. Second, it requires experts who understand the region well and who derive residents’ participation and consent well as a facilitating factor in the formation of communal spirit. Third, since the common goal reinforces communal spirit, political support is needed to facilitate the community in participating in an event together.

1. Introduction

1.1. Study Background and Objective

With the changes in elements that make up a community and the paradigm shift of urban development to a bottom-up type, scholars have actively discussed how a sense of community is formed. Initial discussions of the community emphasized the solidarity of association, interaction between members, and geographic territory [1]. However, as geographical community boundaries faded due to the development of information and communication technologies and transportation, the physical distance between regions became a less important criterion for determining the formation of a community. Instead, personal familiarity, social cohesion, and emotional depth have emerged as important factors in community formation [2]. In recent years, empathizing and communicating with others as an individual—a cooperative subject—has been emphasized as an important factor in community formation [3].

In a shrinking city, where the population is decreasing and the economy is slowing persistently, members experience more difficulty establishing a sense of community due to fewer members and residential density. More than 370 cities around the world have experienced severe population decreases over the past 50 years, and it has been projected that the number of such cities will continue to increase [4,5,6]. South Korea is also more concerned about city shrinkage and local extinction due to the demographic cliff caused by the recent low birth rate and aging population [7]. The population growth rate is expected to continue to decline and grow negatively after reaching 0% in 2022 [8]. Therefore, there is an urgent need to evaluate the formation of a sense of community in the increasing numbers of domestic and international shrinking cities.

Many municipalities have carried out various projects to revitalize communities, such as village and cultural space development using unused spaces. Village development projects aim to restore the local community by having residents act as the main body [9]. However, previous village development projects were achievement-oriented and have been criticized for being led by municipalities and for having the creation of physical space as their goal. Cultural space development projects promote local vitality by converting unused space into cultural space and offering various programs. The goal is to revitalize the declining city, as indicated by the regional revitalization plan, utilizing empty stores and site relocation [10], and to revitalize the old downtown using closed schools [11]. However, such projects assumed that these cities would have more population and grow further. Consequently, these plans were not suitable for the conditions of shrinking cities [12].

Studies related to the formation of a sense of community have focused on the operation of “projects” such as village development projects [13], cultural community projects [14], and cultural group projects [15]. Notably, these studies did not produce results that focused on the situations of the areas where their targets were located. Therefore, it is necessary to study the process of fostering a sense of community considering the situation of shrinking cities.

This study aimed to derive proposals on how to cultivate a sense of community in a shrinking city by exploring how the “cultural facilities” in cities contributed to doing so. The results of this study will provide baseline data for how to manage cultural spaces and support community activities in a shrinking city.

1.2. Theoretical Review and Literature Review

1.2.1. Concept of the Shrinking City

The decline of cities due to population decrease and economic downturns has been discussed in terms of “urban decline.” Urban decline generally indicates that the state of a city has deteriorated for various reasons [16]. It is difficult to distinguish urban decline from the shrinking city because their causes and phenomena are similar. Strictly speaking, however, urban decline refers to a city’s temporary slump, while a shrinking city indicates a status of persistent population decline and economic downturn, from which it is hard to recover [17].

The concept of the shrinking city was first proposed by Häußermann and Siebel in Germany in 1988. Many researchers have discussed this concept since then, but their definitions and criteria have varied (

Table 1. Various definitions of the shrinking city.

Author	Definition
SCiRN Pallagst (2008) [21]	A city with a population of 10,000 or more that has experienced a population decrease for two years or more and economic transformation
Schilling and Logan (2008) [22]	An old industrial city that has lost 25% or more of its population over the past 40 years and, as a result, has more unused spaces such as houses, shopping centers, and factories
Reckien and Martinez-Fernandez (2011) [23]	A city that has experienced a population decrease, economic recession, and employment reduction over the past 40 and 50 years
Martinez-Fernandez et al. (2012) [18]	A city that has experienced a problem such as population decrease, economic recession, and employment reduction
Hollstein (2014) [22]	A city that has experienced a serious reduction in terms of population and economy while maintaining urban boundaries and infrastructure

). Häußermann and Siebel used this term to describe the population decrease and economic decline following deindustrialization in Germany [18] (p. 215). In reference to the industrial cities in East Germany that experienced a population decrease after German reunification, Laursen [19] defined a shrinking city as “a city which experiences a decline in population and economy due to various causes.” The Shrinking Cities International Research Network defined the shrinking city as “a city that has a population of 10,000 or more, experiences population decrease for at least over two years, shows a structural crisis, and suffers from economic difficulties [20] (p. 7). Schilling and Logan [21] defined it as an industrial city that has experienced continuous population decline for 40 years and gained larger unused space over time as a result. Hollstein [22] also argued that population decline and higher building vacancy were related to the shrinking city. Although researchers have had slightly different concepts and criteria regarding the shrinking city, the common denominators are “economic downturn”, “continuous and severe population decrease”, and the consequent “occurrence of unused space”.

1.2.2. Meaning and Utilization of Unused Spaces in a Shrinking City

Many countries around the world have experienced urban shrinkage, resulting in more unused and neglected spaces. After the unification of Germany, many spaces were abandoned in East German cities. Therefore, the government introduced “Zwischennutzung” at the end of 1990 to temporarily use the unused space for various purposes such as community gardens, parking lots, small parks, and table tennis courts [24]. The United States has experienced the urban shrinkage phenomenon with industrial restructuralization and deindustrialization processes, especially in cities located in the Rust Belt [25]. Brownfields began to gain attention as the US federal government enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980. In addition, the states that experienced urban shrinkage have implemented various programs to mitigate it, such as Philadelphia’s Greening Strategy and Cleveland’s Garden Boyz Program. In the UK, cities such as Manchester and Glasgow, which grew up in the industrial era, have been clearly shrinking [10]. The UK tried to change the industrial structure and revitalize the area by introducing the National Coalfield Program (NCP) in 1997 to mining areas that had declined. The Eden Project in Wales (UK) converted an abandoned mine into an ecological and cultural space, and the Big Pit coal mine was transformed into the Big Pit National Coal Museum, which was designated as a World Heritage Site. There are also other efforts given to regenerate cities by renovating unused spaces: the Tate Modern Collection, which was made by renovating the Bankside Power Station on the Thames in London, the UK, and the Duisburg Nord Landscape Park, which was made by renovating the Thyssen Steel Mill in Duisburg, Germany.

Unused spaces increase rapidly in the shrinking city because the demand for urban spaces changes due to continuous population decline and economic downturn. Long-neglected unused spaces threaten public safety [26] and cause complex problems in the city, such as crime [27,28] and aesthetic deterioration [29]. Consequently, they adversely affect the surrounding environment. To mitigate such adverse effects, the public sector has implemented policies to manage and utilize unused spaces. Moreover, various studies have evaluated the utilization of unused space. As there is little pressure for development in the shrinking city, it can be an opportunity to utilize unused spaces.

Philadelphia, a shrinking city, has employed the “greening” strategy to alleviate the city’s decline. The Philadelphia Horticultural Society (PHS) has been promoting the conversion of unused spaces to green spaces; it runs the Community Land Care Program to help residents use unused spaces for farming and other purposes to promote economic independence by selling the products obtained [30]. Cleveland has also been psychologically easing urban decline by planting in unused spaces and promoting job creation through the Garden Boyz program, which helps local youth develop vegetable gardens and sell vegetables. Unused space in the shrinking city tends to be used for temporary programs because development pressure is low, and development is delayed. Germany has utilized the “Zwischennutzung” (temporary use) program to temporarily use unused spaces in various ways. In Berlin, unused spaces have been converted into artificial beaches, performance halls, and extreme sports venues through the Zwischennutzung policy [31,32]. Leipzig has also been converting unoccupied or neglected spaces into community gardens, parking lots, and table tennis courts.

Studies have been conducted on various topics regarding how to use unused spaces in shrinking cities, including methods of promoting the vitality of the region by converting unused spaces into cultural spaces [33,34], effects of the temporary use of unused spaces on residents [35], and the exploration of the phenomenon of individuals managing and utilizing neglected unused space in a reduced city through unofficial occupancy [36]. Moreover, the effects of unused space utilization on ecosystem and energy reduction have also been studied [37,38,39,40,41,42,43].

1.2.3. Forming a Sense of Community

The elements that constitute the community have been changing. Moreover, as the boundaries of the community based on physical space have become blurred due to the development of information and communication technologies and transportation, the physical distance between regions has become a less important criterion for forming a community. Although geographical territoriality was the most important element in early community discussions [1], its importance has gradually decreased. In the recent literature, the empathy and communication of an individual with others as a cooperative subject [3] are emphasized as important factors in community formation. McMillan and Chavis [44] highlighted a state in which one can feel a sense of belonging and solidarity based on emotional intimacy and satisfy desires as an element necessary for a sense of community. Long and Perkins [45] considered social connection and interrelationships through common values of the community as the components of a sense of community. Although researchers have defined sense of community slightly differently, they have agreed that the members’ sense of solidarity, belonging, and closeness and the belief that their desires would be satisfied were common elements.

Studies related to the formation of a sense of community have mainly evaluated the formation of the community through village development projects and their implementation through cultural projects. Lee and Lim [13] studied the formation process of a community in a village in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province that aimed to prepare a plan to revitalize a village using a village development project. The target village of the study formed a community through an identification stage, a revitalization stage, and an autonomy stage, as follows: (1) By fostering a group of village leaders, (2) By creating a village while focusing on the process, and (3) By establishing a virtuous cycle structure for the development of the village by fostering talents as a method to create a sustainable village in a rural area.

Park JG [46] sought a strategy for forming a community to resolve conflicts between the residents of Cheonan region and found that a sense of satisfaction, belonging, and solidarity were significantly related to the enhancement of a sense of community. Among them, the sense of belonging was the most important factor in forming a sense of community. It was argued that a strategy responding to the residents’ needs must be applied and that cooperation and understanding between municipalities and residents would be necessary to form a local community. Park et al. [14] evaluated the cultural community project of Seongnam City and the factors of community spirit formation by dividing them into the characteristics of residents, physical environment, and program. The factors were analyzed according to the residents’ characteristics (e.g., marital status, parental status, and residence period) and the cooperation between subjects, participation status, and participation type while operating the program. They identified the effects of each factor in forming a sense of community based on the accessibility and comfort of public facilities. Yoon [15] examined plans for the revitalization of communities through cultural and artistic organizations in rural areas and argued that they would need common values among their members, elements facilitating its activation, content for expressing the internal values of the community, and a space for communication among members.

Previous studies related to the formation of a sense of community have focused on “village development projects,” “cultural community projects,” and “cultural organization projects” and examined how to operate projects and encourage participation in them. Moreover, they explored and measured elements that helped improve the community from among those elements related to the formation of a sense of community. Some studies examined rural areas, but many other studies evaluated large cities such as Cheonan and Seongnam. However, the results of these studies did not focus on the situation of the subject cities. The unique contribution of this study is that it explored how “cultural facilities” formed a sense of community. More specifically, this study examined the process of cultivating a sense of community suitable for the situation of a shrinking city. Moreover, the results of this study are meaningful as a case of transforming a neglected unused space into a cultural space to inspire a sense of community.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Subject

The subject of this study was the Seocheon Media Culture Center (Figure 1 and Figure 2) in Janghang, a city that had experienced rapid growth in the past due to the development of the port and smelting industries. Janghang Port was the only port in the Chungnam region until the 1960s after liberation, and trade was active. Janghang smelter became the center of the regional economy after its first operation started in 1935. However, the construction of Geum River Estuary Bank in 1990 severely damaged the fisheries industry, and Janghang smelter was closed because of environmental pollution problems in 1989, which greatly changed the industrial structure of the region [47]. As a result, Janghang began to decline. Janghang’s population decreased by approximately 62.5% from 30,861 in 1980 to 11,960 in 2015 [8]. The inner city decline due to the industrial downturn and population decrease abruptly increased the unused space in Janghang. It created many spaces such as old industrial facilities (e.g., railways and lighters wharf) and neglected vacant houses and lots. Consequently, Janghang became a shrinking city after experiencing a long economic downturn and severe population decline for more than 35 years.

Janghang has witnessed several cases of converting unused spaces into cultural spaces, such as the sports park by Janghang Railway, Seocheon-gun Culture and Arts Creation Space, and the Media Culture Center. The sports park is a sports facility built beside the former Janghang Railway. It is small in size and does not run a specific program. The Culture and Arts Creation Space was built on the former rice granary and is currently used as a cafe, performance hall, and exhibition hall. The preliminary investigation revealed that some residents used the Culture and Arts Creation Space by renting the performance hall and offering craft programs. However, the residents did not participate enough because the characteristics of the programs were not suitable for the region with a high proportion of elderly population. Moreover, the residents were the users, rather than the owners, of the programs. The Media Culture Center was built in 2012 on the abandoned railroad crew dormitory site. The Janghang Railway passes through the center of Janghang-eup, and the dormitory is located near the railroad (Figure 1). When it was initially established, it tried to bring in the outside population. For example, it built a guest house for artists. When it began to offer visual arts and nightclub culture as programs, it was ignored by the residents. However, it has been transformed into a community-centered space that runs various programs in which residents voluntarily participate (e.g., clubs and radio programs), after much trial and error. In addition, it received the Grand Prize at the Local Government Policy Award and the Audience Award at the Korean Film Culture Festival in 2017. Therefore, it was chosen as the subject of the study.

2.2. Methods

The objectives of this study were to understand the meaning of the method of forming a sense of community in local small- and medium-sized towns based on the management case of the Seocheon-gun Media Culture Center and to apply the method to a similar environment. This study employed qualitative design research methods to achieve these objectives. Case studies empirically explore phenomena occurring in life [50]. They are preferred when researchers try to find answers for “how” and “why” questions and cannot control situations and events. They provide a detailed and rich description of an entity, phenomenon, or social unit [51] and can offer criteria that allow people to comprehensively judge by presenting analytic arguments based on context [52].

This study examined how the management of a cultural space in a shrinking city could affect the formation of a sense of community, particularly because this topic remains highly understudied. A case study was deemed to be an appropriate approach to analyze and describe the management experience and change process for forming a sense of community in an urban context. Seocheon-gun Media Culture Center was considered to be a representative example of forming a sense of community in a local small- or medium-sized city, given its concrete achievements, such as receiving a prize at a film festival and a local policy grand prize.

2.3. Data Collection Method

Data were collected by interviewing stakeholders and through secondary data such as newspapers and government reports to confirm objective facts to solve the questions of this study. The stakeholders were determined to be the project planner and officials who planned the project, the media center managers at the beginning, the current managers, and the program participants (

Table 2. List of interviewees.

	Interviewee		Gender (Age)	Characteristic
1	Managers	A	Male (40s)	Initial manager
2		B	Male (60s)	Current manager
3	Project planner	C	Male (50s)	-
4	Club participants	D	Male (30s)	-
5		E	Male (50s)	-
6		F	Female (20s)	-
7		G	Female (40s)	--
8	Residents	H	Male (80s)	-
9		I	Male (50s)	-
10		J	Male (70s)	-
11		K	Female (60s)	-
12		L	Female (70s)	-

). H, the project planner, planned to convert various unused spaces in Janghang into cultural spaces, including the Seocheon Media Culture Center. A, B, and C were the managers of the Media Culture Center from the beginning to the time of the interview, making it possible to collect data about the management process of the Media Culture Center. D, E, F, and G were participants of the program offered at the center. They were interviewed through snowball sampling to identify their perceptions of the center. The interview stopped when new facts were not obtained any longer. The previous literature was used to examine the progress and issues raised in the past. The representative literature data used were “Identification and promotion direction of projects related to urban regeneration in Janghang-eup,” “Report on Janghang Rural Center,” “Small Town Development Project Report,” and News Seocheon, a local press (

Table 3. Study Materials and Process.

Study Contents		Methods	Study Materials
Literature review	Concept of a shrinking city Meaning and use of unused spaces in a shrinking city Sense of community	Literature review	Related domestic and international studies
▼
Site selection and status survey	Management process of Media Culture Center	Informal interview	Interview with related parties (managers, project planners, club participants, residents)
		Field survey	Local newspapers and National Spatial Data Infrastructure Portal
		Literature review	“Identification and promotion direction of projects related to urban regeneration in Janghang-eup”, “Report on Janghang Rural Center”, “Small Town Development Project Report”, and News Seocheon
▼
Data collection and analysis	Management of Media Culture Center and formation process of a community	In-depth interview	Interviews with related parties (managers, project planners, club participants, residents)

).

Data collection was performed through memo and recording with the consent of the interviewee, using an open and semi-structured form to capture the participant’s subjective feelings and thoughts well. The interviews were conducted flexibly in the field according to the interviewee’s reaction based on the prepared key questions (

Table 4. Key questions.

Target	Content
Managers	What were your primary objects in the management of the center? What did you do to build fellowship?
Club participants	What motivated you to participate in it? How did the participation activities affect your sense of community?
Residents	What do you think of the Media Culture Center? Does it affect the concord of the residents? If so, how? What other cultural activities will strengthen the meaning of the community and help you contribute (as volunteers) to the local people?

). No more club participants or resident interviewees were recruited once theoretical saturation was reached, when no new facts were found from the responses of interviewees. The interviews were conducted from February to June 2018.

3. Results

3.1. Providing Services That Meet the Needs of the Region

The Media Culture Center could contribute to the formation of a community by providing services appropriate to the local environment. Local experts who understood the area well were in charge of the management, and it provided outreach services that considered elderly people. However, this was not possible from the beginning of its establishment. In the early planning stage of 2011, it attempted to attract visitors and tourists by hosting outside artists in the region and introducing club culture. However, the artist residence was canceled owing to an operating expense problem, and nightlife programs such as clubs faced the criticism of not being suitable for the local culture. From 2014, K Community Radio (KFM), which had experience in operating cultural spaces, took over the management. KFM, based in Seoul, was a broadcasting station, which broadcasted a community radio channel in XX-gu, Seoul. KFM organized a community radio channel, video clubs, and media workshops based on its previous operating experience.

However, KFM encountered several difficulties. First, founding a club was difficult. The chief executive officer OO Ahn, the manager, expected that residents would listen to a radio broadcast and voluntarily participate in the club, as people did in Seoul. However, this was not the case in Janghang, where the proportion of elderly people was high. Moreover, as there was not enough communication with the residents, they did not support the Media Culture Center. Although Mr. Ahn spent two or three days per week in Janghang, he could not spend much time in directly communicating with the local residents because he devoted most of his time to the internal management of the center. Given the lack of communication with the residents, it was difficult to form consensus concerning the value of the Media Culture Center in the region. In fact, negative public opinion about the Media Culture Center grew as conflicts and opposition arose, such as the involvement of local powers in the management of the center.

“I don’t think we had enough time, experience, and ability to understand the local people. It could be different if we lived there, met the residents, made compromises, and made adjustments accordingly. It seems that it is necessary to have a local manager who can understand local politics and communicate with the residents.”

—Interviewee A

Although approximately 70% of the employees of the Media Culture Center were local residents, not many of them had expertise in management. To make matters worse, they did not receive training to become experts, as their tasks focused on supporting various public contests to cover insufficient operating expenses and showing achievements.

As the difficulties persisted, KFM withdrew from the project. Afterward, A from the region was recruited as a manager. Mr. A planned programs to enhance communication with the residents. When Mr. A, who understood the area well, became a manager, building consensus among the local residents became easier. Above all, it shortened the time required to form bonds with the residents. Moreover, it was possible to understand one another and adjust accordingly while communicating with the local residents through long-standing fellowship. The management of the Media Culture Center also changed. While the previous management method was to “wait” for residents’ participation, the new management under Mr. A—as of 2016—“visited” residents in person to enhance communication with them. Mr. A, who understood the characteristics of the region, changed the program management method in consideration of these characteristics (e.g., many elderly people). Due to their mobility issues, elderly residents had difficulty coming to the Media Culture Center located downtown. Therefore, the Media Culture Center visited the residents through programs such as a visiting movie theater, longevity pictures, village memories, and video will production for the elderly. It had residents who were living in marginalized areas participate in these programs and provided them with opportunities for cultural enjoyment while meeting them in person. A sense of community could be cultivated, as the residents who were geographically marginalized could join, owing to these “visiting” programs offered in a way that was suited to the region. The residents who benefited from these programs were engaged in interactive activities conducted under them, such as having meals together with volunteers and staff and sharing food materials. Moreover, personal intimacy increased; the visited residents would say hello owing to the personal relationship established during the operation (

Table 5. Transformation process of the Media Culture Center.

	Planning Stage (2011)	1st Management (2014–2016)	2nd Management (2016–Current)
Management Entity	Artist	Corporate K Community Radio	Non-profit corporation
Manager Characteristics	Resident artist	External experts	Local expert
Main Programs	Nightclub culture Media art Artist accommodation	Community radio Video club Media workshop	Visiting movie theater Visiting longevity photo Creating memories for the elderly Creating village memories Community radio Media workshop Video club
Program Goals	Culture production and consumption Inflow of outside population	Cultural enjoyment Enhancing a sense of community	Enhancing a sense of community Empowering cultural enjoyment Discovering and cumulating local assets
Program Characteristics	Residents and tourists visit	Spreading to residents	Visiting residents

).

“The aged like us do not go anywhere because it is difficult to move around, even though we are invited to an event. But it is so nice of them to visit us, take our pictures, show us movies, and talk with us. OO has become like a son to me. We visit each other and have meals together afterward.”

—Interviewee H

The operation of the visiting service increased a sense of solidarity, especially for the elderly over 70 years old, because senior citizens could not travel far due to their limited mobility and thus did not have much chance to meet new people. Residents in their 50s and below also had a stronger sense of community belonging and solidarity, differently than the elderly, by participating in activities as volunteers, communicating with residents, and sharing information with the management team.

3.2. Cultural Activities Performed Together

The Media Culture Center and community clubs created cultural activities together. The two entities complemented each other and covered each other’s insufficiencies. When the Media Culture Center was short of labor, the club members volunteered, and the Media Culture Center supported their activities by providing training, space, and equipment. The Media Culture Center even provided scenario training for the members of a movie club who had a hard time writing scenarios by introducing them to a dramatist. A club planned a “visiting movie theater” and voluntarily visited residents living in areas where it was difficult to participate in cultural activities to provide them with a space in which to experience their culture (Figure 3).

These activities attracted the local residents’ attention to the Media Culture Center. Residents who did not have the opportunity to demonstrate their personal interests and talents such as videography and photography formed a stronger bond with other club members while interacting and receiving training together. Moreover, they were greatly rewarded as members of society while discovering their hidden talents and conducting meaningful work in the process.

“I gained confidence and felt rewarded due to the fact that I could do something now. I feel a sense of belonging when I meet neighbors I have never met before and interact with them.”

—Interviewee J

Meanwhile, the Media Culture Center invested a lot of effort in creating a robust club organization, and approximately 180 people participated in clubs such as radio, broadcasting, film, and photography. In the early days, it was difficult to recruit participants. The center representatives asked around the area who would be interested and persuaded each person to participate. However, people continued to drop out of the clubs. Eventually, it was possible to organize one club after persistently persuading people to participate and recruiting additional members over a long period of one and a half years. After one group was formed, a certain momentum was needed to maintain it. Participation in a contest could become a catalyst for expanding the club because they could set a common goal with it. When the team of “Eojeoji Geuraetsyu,” a video production club, won the Audience award at the Korea Film Culture Festival in 2017 (Figure 4), there was a spike in interest in the Media Culture Center. Other clubs have become more active since then. Various efforts were rewarded by the Grand Prize at the 2nd Local Government Policy Award.

“Taking a photo has been my hobby since I was young, but I always took photos alone. I didn’t have many opportunities to meet people here, unlike Seoul. But, now, I’m so happy to go out with friends who have the same hobbies of taking photos, producing videos, and even submitting our works. I have become more attached to the village”.

—Interviewee E

3.3. Accumulation of Local Assets and Formation of Local Governance

The Media Culture Center collected village data worth preserving. Subsequently, it accumulated local resources by exhibiting, sharing, and digitizing these data. Local governance was naturally established in the process of collecting, exhibiting, and sharing data. Moreover, it cultivated a sense of community by energizing the village community.

The Media Culture Center accumulated details regarding the residents’ daily lives by visiting them, recording their daily lives on video, and filming their residential areas to collect local data. Managers including literary arts class and welfare volunteers, who knew the situation of the residents well, worked closely with the Media Culture Center and clubs in the process of contacting residents for data collection. Afterward, the video production and photography club visited the residents to make portraits and take photos around the village and of daily living. This way, the volunteer-culture class and manager-center-clubs established small-scale governance.

Meanwhile, the Resident Committee, Village Foreman Council, and Saemaul Movement Council took charge of collecting data such as old photos and videos possessed by the residents for the “making village memories” program. The Eup and Myeon offices and resident organizations supported the project in various ways, including renting a space to display the materials. Moreover, the collected materials were digitalized at the Media Culture Center and stored as local assets. Local resident groups, government offices, and the center also formed governance in an organic relationship with one another.

“Many old photos—even from the Late Period of Joseon—have been discovered. They are valuable cultural assets. The residents loved it when 700–800 photos were developed and exhibited at the town office. Since they were their own stories, they became very lively, sharing old memories with one another while enjoying the photos.”

—Interviewee B

In the process of accumulating local assets, the residents’ views on the Media Culture Center changed. Those who had not been favorable to it in the past began to support it as they built governance in an organic relationship with one another. It gained support among their families and neighbors. This support was the driving force for receiving support from local public organizations, such as the Seocheon Branch of the Korean Senior Citizens Association and the Seocheon Branch of the Korea Electric Power Corporation.

“When we finish the production of video and other materials, we send them all to the children of the elderly residents. Then, their families send us lengthy letters, rice cakes, and food, and call us from time to time.”

—Interviewee G

“I did not know what this (the Media Culture Center) was for. I initially spoke badly about it, wondering why they were wasting the budget by establishing such a thing in the countryside. However, nowadays, it is not just me, but all the villagers say they work too hard; and we ask the county to raise their salary and budget.”

—Interviewee L

4. Conclusions and Discussion

The following conclusions were arrived at after exploring the management process of the Media Culture Center. First, the Media Culture Center could contribute to the formation of a sense of community by providing services appropriate to the local situation. Second, the Media Culture Center and the residents created cultural activities together, and they succeeded in promoting a sense of community with a common goal. Third, the Media Culture Center accumulated local assets, and the process of sharing data invigorated the village and cultivated a sense of community. The following implications were derived from the study results.

First, a sense of community can be formed through a cultural space. In this case, it is necessary to offer a program that can overcome geographical limitations. Although geographical space is the most fundamental element for forming a community, it was found that a space-based community facility could replace it in a shrinking city where the density of the city was gradually decreasing. This finding can also be applied in the current situation, where the problem of population decline is expanding to suburban spaces [54]. Providing services, such as “visiting services,” appropriate to the local conditions was essential to creating a sense of community by generating a sense of interaction and solidarity among members. It is necessary to overcome the limitations of community formation created by the disruption of geographic locations by operating programs that can lead to face-to-face interactions. This will serve as a guide for many shrinking cities in the future. The results clearly showed that sustainably utilizing an unused space with a program suitable for the situation of a shrinking city, even if the space was useless, could resolve the concerns of community formation even in a situation of urban shrinkage.

Second, an expert who understands the region well is required as a factor facilitating the formation of a sense of community. Public consent and opinion are very important in the shrinking city, where unused spaces are often utilized as public goods. Although public goods receive little attention from residents in large cities with rich cultural facilities, they receive much attention from residents in small- and medium-sized towns that do not have adequate cultural facilities. Consequently, using public goods without the residents’ consent leads to operational difficulties. Moreover, it is necessary to compose a program that suits the region and has practical implications for the residents’ lives to increase their participation. Therefore, it is desirable to choose an expert who can correctly deliver the opinions of the local residents and understand the region as a management body.

Third, a common goal strengthens the sense of community. The club activities developed residents into a sustainable community by facilitating exchanges and communication between them through collaborative actions and forming a strong sense of bonding. The collapse of the community and sense of loss regarding place occurring in the shrinking city requires an external stimulus to form a bond based on a common goal. Events (e.g., contents and festivals) allow people to clearly express their common values. Therefore, they help people overcome the sense of loss by confirming the existence of themselves and their neighbors, which can become the driving force to promote common values. In this regard, it is necessary to provide support through policies that allow club activities and promote joint participation in events.

This study examined the possibility for a community to form fellowship in a shrinking city through the operation of cultural facilities. The importance of this study lies in the exploration of elements that contributed to the formation of a sense of community and its implications. It has been about five years since the Seocheon-gun Media Culture Center was established. As shown in the study, it went through much trial and error, and the center, residents, and administration all experienced some changes in the process. The examined case was an excellent one considering its success and achievements so far. However, the quarrels and conflicts between residents, which inevitably occur during the operation, must be studied further in the future to form a sustainable community.