The Korea Local Administration Review

This study focused on analyzing the most crucial motivating factors influencing the inflow of young adults with families and their settlement at the innovation cities in Daegu Metropolitan City, Ulsan Metropolitan City, and Gyeongsangnam-do, which are constructed as new towns within the Gyeongsang region, where the family migration rate is evaluated as the lowest. Specifically, This article selected young adults aged 19 to 39 who have migrated with their families due to marriage as the target group for analysis. Based on survey data collected through a survey and hurdle models, empirical analysis results were derived. The analysis revealed that the most influential motivating factors for the influx of young adults with families into the innovation cities among the youth are satisfaction with residential infra conditions and satisfaction with accessibility and convenience of healthcare services such as hospitals or pharmacies. Simultaneously, the most influential motivating factor for young adults to continue residing in the innovation city with their families for a long time after migrating is ‘homeownership’, indicating a preference for self-owned housing. Furthermore, it was found that the probability of young adults migrating with their families to the innovation city increases when satisfaction with commuting time and economic costs is low. Moreover, factors such as satisfaction with childcare and educational environments relatively impact the continuation of sustainable residency in the innovation city after young adults with families have migrated. This study suggests that for increasing the rate of family migration to innovation cities in the future, a comprehensive approach with detailed strategies is needed rather than relying on a single department or agency at the national, regional, or local level. The central government should actively explore and support private-public partnership projects, while local governments should establish and implement differentiated policies for activating innovation cities tailored to the needs of young families settling in these areas.