VIRTUAL London.

Abstract

As population decline poses great challenges to urban livability, it is crucial to understand its underlying dynamics. This study explores the urban issues of declining cities in Korea, using an extensive analysis of news data from 1990 to 2020, utilizing text mining techniques. We compiled data from 77 cities to identify issues pertinent to population decline, aiming to augment our understanding of these patterns. Leveraging association rule mining and network visualization techniques, we scrutinized the challenges of declining cities. This approach enabled us to identify the uniqueness and disparities of the issues across various groups, categorized by their distinctive stages of population decline and urban characteristics. The analysis unveiled ‘local’, ‘business’, ‘create’, ‘residents’, and ‘city center’ as primary keywords associated with population decline. These keywords further branched out into sub-topics groups, including: (1) events, attraction, tourism, local experiences, international; (2) construction, attractions, infrastructure; (3) revitalization, local economy; and (4) downtown. Furthermore, disaster, tourism, and the local economy emerged as specific issues for cities undergoing population decline. Typical responses to these issues encompassed initiatives such as conducting local events to attract tourists, revitalizing downtown areas, and implementing financial support for population relocation. This study underscores the utility of text mining in delineating specific local issues contributing to urban decline. The insights provided by the findings enrich our understanding of the dynamics of urban decline relevant to population decline. The study ultimately suggests a route towards the evolution of more livable and sustainable cities, notwithstanding the ongoing challenges of population decline.