Unraveling the factors determining the redevelopment of Seoul's historic hanoks

• Parcel-level datasets of all hanoks in Seoul between 2002 and 2013 were built.
• Newer, larger, and previously converted hanoks were more likely to be lost.
• Hanoks with desirable environmental qualities were more resistant to redevelopment.
• Induced impacts of nearby urban projects were significant but this varied substantially depending on the hanok locations.

Recent studies found that the number of traditional Korean houses—called hanoks—in Seoul has decreased substantially over the last 50 years. Yet very little was known about the specific causes of large-scale demolition and redevelopment of hanoks. Here, based upon newly built parcel-level datasets of all hanoks in Seoul's 1936 boundary, our probit regression models showed that the combined effects of parcel, neighborhood, and urban-scale factors may explain the probability of hanoks' loss between 2002 and 2013. The results indicated that hanoks that were relatively new, large, and previously converted to a different use were more likely to be lost than older, smaller, and single-family residential-use hanoks. Those with desirable environmental qualities, such as a southern orientation and being part of a cluster of hanoks, were more resistant to redevelopment. The induced-development impacts of nearby urban projects were significant but this relationship varied substantially depending on the locations of the affected hanoks.