Abstract
Korea has experienced drastic changes in the activity space and the periodic market, which has played the important role as a node of personal behavior, in association with the rapid economic growth since the 1960's.
The aim of this paper is to make clear the changing processes of the activity space and the periodic market.
This study is based on questionnaire method and field survey in Chung-cheong Buk province, which includes some basins located in central Korea. The general tendency of the personal behavior in a community is asked to a headmaster of elementary school in the community. Four periods are selected to represent the stage of economic growth: 1940, 1955, 1965 and 1980. Items of questionnaire include the following five types of usual personal behavior. They are shoppings, entertainment trips, shipments of agricultural products, use of medical facilities, and commuting.
Results of this study are as follows:
1. The ranges of the activity spaces which are defined by such items as the purchase of speciality goods, the entertainment trips, and the shipment of special agricultural product (apple) have shown a remarkable change, and the orientation of behavior have changed from lower-ordered centers to higher-ordered ones.
2. The range of the activity spaces, defined by lower-ordered items such as the purchase of perishable goods and underwears, the shipment of general agricultural products have shown a slight change. The range for the use of medical facilities, which is one of the higher-ordered items, have also shown a slight change.
3. The number of periodic markets had increased from 1940 to 1969, reflecting the improvement of the standerd of living.
4. Since 1973, most of the smaller-sized periodic markets located near the higher-ordered centers have disappeared with the improvement of public transportation systems, especially bus services and the progress of daily fixed markets and shopping streets.
5. The function of a periodic market has been weakened due to the intensification of urban function in the higher-ordered centers. On the other hand, there is a symbiotic relation between the periodic markets and the shopping streets in the periodic market day.
6. We can find a following central-place hierarchy in this area.
