ScholarWorks@성균관대학교

초록

This study investigates the structural and contextual limitations of professional baseball stadiums in South Korea froman urban contextual perspective, with a comparative focus on advanced stadium cases in the United States (MLB) and Japan(NPB). Since the inception of professional baseball in Korea in 1982, stadiums have played significant cultural and economicroles in local communities. However, their integration with everyday urban life remains weak, largely due to their location withinmulti-purpose sports complexes, closed perimeters, and limited connections to surrounding urban functions. To address this, the study selected 51 stadiums—nine in Korea, 30 in the US, and 12 in Japan—and applied both quantitativeand qualitative analysis based on four urban contextual criteria: location, accessibility, openness, and connectivity. Data werecollected from official documents, GIS analysis, and field surveys. Results reveal that, although Korean stadiums have excellent central locations and public transport links, they lack everydayconnectivity due to their spatial isolation and single-purpose design. In contrast, MLB and NPB stadiums are closely integratedwith city centers and mixed-use developments, providing open, pedestrian-friendly environments and active engagement withcommercial, cultural, and community functions. Based on these comparative findings, the paper proposes strategies for Korean stadiums, including converting closed perimetersto open, multi-directional pedestrian access, expanding public and mixed-use facilities both inside and outside the stadium, andestablishing intermediary urban spaces to connect stadiums with daily urban activities. These recommendations aim to repositionKorean baseball stadiums as public, multifunctional urban hubs and provide a practical reference for future spatial and policyimprovements.

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