Local small and medium cities have underwent a problem of losing vitality with existing residents' movement due to continuous and extensive housing site development in the outskirts of a city in a trend of slowdown or decrease of population increase. Moreover, as large-scaled shopping mall was built around the outskirts of a city by external capital, the functions of existing downtown areas have been worsened more. Therefore, many local cities make the various plans to activate central downtown areas and make efforts to practice them, but their effects are not known. This study examined regeneration patterns and methods of downtown areas with 41 foreign cities in Japan and Britain and 3 cities in Jeollanam-do province of Korea and the results of the study can be summarized as follows.
1. It was found that foreign cities have urban planning law for controlling large gathering facilities, regulation of entry of large shopping mall by external capital and downtown activation support law in order to strengthen functions of downtown areas, but cities in Korea have not these arrangements yet.
2. In case of foreign cities, while regeneration plan of downtown areas takes priority to three stages of vision (pattern), program (method) and management depending on the characteristics of a city, the cities of Korea make project-centered regeneration plan of downtown areas. Such a difference in regeneration plan of downtown areas between foreign cities and Korean cities was recognized as established physical structure or culture and internal therapy (causal therapy) for long-term period based on the emphasis of interests, but domestic cities considered it as short-term surgical therapy (popular therapy) like developing a new housing site or commercial site at undeveloped area.
3. Regeneration patterns (vision) of downtown area are divided into base strengthened type, network connected type, history based utility type, industrial space regeneration type, and urban axis strengthening type depending on the characteristics of a city in case of foreign cities, but the cities of Korea adopt the method of arranging line, face and dot. Also in regeneration methods, foreign cities make residents centered execution program or management, but Korean cities are centered around budget required and priority of project through administration or professionals
Suggestions. Downtown project is the work to regenerate spatial structure, culture and interest established for long years and social and economic views besides physical view are required. In particular, setting of residents centered pattern (vision), program and management are needed.