Abstract
There is little research on the exterior spaces or gardens of single detached urban dwellings in Korea because apartments are the general housing type of most inhabitants. However there is an increasing demand for idyllic houses in the urban fringe and for environmentally friendly dwellings or healthy houses that is represented in urban residents gardening activities. The purpose of this research is to analyze residents' preferences and problems in gardening and management of single detached urban dwellings, and to evaluate the possibility of gardens as biotopes. It also addresses the issue of providing public amenities in the urban landscape. One hundred thirty-six dwellings were selected in residential areas of the city of Gwangju. The layout and plant composition, residents' evaluation and understanding of their own gardens, and maintenance and management were investigated. The results indicated that residents associate gardening with mental health and recognized a lack of space as one environmental restriction. Watering was seen as a primary difficulty for maintaining gardens. This research suggests that providing space for gardening could be a tool for participatory community making. When considering the important aspects of gardening, residents responded that gardens offer naturalness, scenic beauty, and practicality and also felt that gardens provide a buffer from environmental pollution and relief from mental duress. Results from the factor analysis using 15 semantic differential variables showed that 'spatial openness', 'natural variety' and 'familiarity' were representative factors. Although a garden is mainly considered as a space for the appreciation of nature with plant material, our results suggest that meaning and environmental symbolism are important elements.