Key takeaways
Academic research distinguishes Gangnam's gentrification into phases: state-led "new development" gentrification in the late 1960s, "hyper-gentrification" following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and what emerged at Sinsa-dong's Garosu-gil and Bangbae-dong's Sai-gil as a more "classical form of gentrification." Fact This is explained as a reverse phenomenon, in which independent business owners and cultural producers pursuing a bohemian, cosmopolitan culture seeped into the gap spaces between high-rise apartment complexes. Fact
The ones who benefit are the early business owners and property owners who built a distinctive commercial identity in this narrow gap space. The ones left holding an ambiguous identity are the visitors who mistakenly come seeking "a neglected area brought back to life." And what gets academically re-examined is the cultural diversity that exists within Gangnam, a district that was already wealthy to begin with.
What to look for on site
- The coexistence of high-rise apartments and narrow-lane commercial districts
- Sai-gil's scale and atmosphere, compared with Garosu-gil
- Traces of Gangnam's multiple, overlapping phases of development
A structural question worth carrying with you
Is this alley's vibrancy a story of "revival from neglect," or a story of "a gap within an already-wealthy place"? FIT TRIP won't answer that for you. But it's worth carrying the question as you walk.