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Kayoko YamamotoInternational Journal of Advanced Computer Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, Pp. 168-180, Apr. 2012.
Citation preview
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, Pp. 168-180, Apr. 2012.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
Manuscript Received: 4, Feb., 2012
Revised:
29,Feb.,2012
Accepted:
1,Apr.,2012
Published: 15,May,2012
Keywords Public Green
Space,
Urban
Density,
Metropolitan
Area,
Urbanization,
GIS
(Geographical
Information
Systems)
Abstract This study uses GIS
(Geographic Information Systems) to
conduct an evaluation of the degree of the
sufficiency of public green spaces such as
parks and urban green areas as an indicator
of the density of metropolitan areas, in
particular the Chubu metropolitan area, in
Japan. To that end, it first grasps and
compares the distribution situation of green
spaces in Japan’s three major metropolitan
areas in Japan, especially in the Chubu
metropolitan area, using GIS digital maps.
And based on this result, it conducts a GIS
evaluation of the degree of sufficiency of
public green spaces and arranges the result
for every distance belt from the central part
to compare and exam for every distance belt
away from the center in particular the
Chubu metropolitan area. Furthermore,
after pointing out the insufficient areas of
public green spaces based on the result, it
also proposes the improvement policy which
can be introduced in the Chubu metropolitan
area.
1. Introduction
Most large cities in Asia are extraordinarily
high-density compared with their counterparts in Europe,
North America and Oceania (Yamamoto, 2006, 2008a,
2008b, 2009a) [1]-[4]. An acute lack of green spaces in the
metropolitan areas in Japan, in particular, has given rise not
only to problems in land use but also to deterioration of the
quality of the urban environment. Quite apart from the
problem of environmental conservation, green spaces fulfill
a number of diverse functions for recreation, disaster
prevention and local topography, and are thus one of the
most important elements in urban areas. Furthermore, in
Japan, the potential danger of high-density cities was made
very real in people’s minds in the Great Hanshin
Earthquake in 1995, and several proposals have since been
made strongly arguing for the necessity of disaster
Kayoko Yamamoto is with the Graduate School of Information Systems,
National University of Electro-Communications Tokyo, Japan
1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu City, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan (Tel & Fax: +81-42-443-5728, e-mail: [email protected])
prevention city planning based on the provision of green
spaces (Yamamoto, 2000) [5]. This is because the weak
areas have increased in disaster since and the flexibility of
construction is large as compared with the advanced nations
of others in Japan.
The idea of city planning based on green space
development is not at all new, having its origins in 17th and
18th century Europe. The construction of modern urban
parks began as early as the 19th century (Yamamoto, 2006,
2008a) [1]-[2]. In recent years, securing green spaces has
become an indispensable element of urban development.
Among previous studies on green space development in the
academic field of city planning and regional planning, a
particularly large number have focused on examples in the
U.K. and the U.S. (e.g., Maruta, Jenks, Burton & Williams,
Ide, Roo & Miller, Beatley, Ishikawa, Persons & Schuyler,
and Kahn) [6]-[13], but there have been no case studies of
Asian and Oceanic countries nor studies on the evaluation
of the degree of sufficiency of green spaces throughout the
world.
Based on the viewpoints described above, this study
uses GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to conduct an
evaluation of the degree of the sufficiency of public green
spaces such as parks and urban green areas as an indicator
of the density of major metropolitan areas, in particular the
Chubu metropolitan area, in Japan. For the purpose of this
study, a “public green space” is defined as a “public space
such as parks and green areas that is secured as an open
space within a city and not used for any other purpose”
based on the result of Yamamoto (2007a, 2007b, 2010)
[14]-[16].
2. Framework and Method
In this study, first, Section 3 classifies the
characteristics of Japan’s three major metropolitan areas
especially in the Chubu metropolitan area, paying attention
to the city planning based on green space development in
Japan and the distribution situation of green spaces. Section
4 introduces the use data of this study and the process which
processed the form which can be used by this study is
shown.
Based on these, Section 5 grasps and compares the
distribution situation of public green spaces in Japan’s three
major metropolitan areas, especially in the Chubu
Evaluation of the Degree of the Sufficiency of Public
Green Spaces as an Indicator of Urban Density in
Metropolitan Areas in Japan: The Chubu
Metropolitan Area Kayoko Yamamoto
Yamamoto.: Evaluation of the Degree of the Sufficiency of Public Green Spaces as an Indicator of Urban Density in Metropolitan Areas in Japan: The Chubu Metropolitan Area.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
169
metropolitan area, using GIS digital maps. Section 6
conducts a GIS evaluation of the degree of sufficiency of
public green spaces as an indicator of urban density, and
arranges the result for every distance belt from the central
parts to compare for every distance belt away from the
center in Japan’s three major metropolitan areas.
And based on these results, Section 7 evaluates the
degree of sufficiency of public green spaces for every
distance belt away from the center in more detail in
particular the Chubu metropolitan area. Furthermore, after
pointing out the insufficient areas of public green spaces
based on the result, it also proposes the improvement policy
which can be introduced in the Chubu metropolitan area.
Finally, Section 8 shows the conclusion and future research
of this study.
In addition, the application soft wares of GIS used by
this study are ArcGIS and ArcView developed by ESRI
(Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.). In this
study, using these soft wares, the data is processed in
Section 4 and the analysis evaluation of public green spaces
is performed in Sections 5, 6 and 7.
3. The Characteristics of Study
Area
A. Study Area Description
The main region for this study is the Chubu
metropolitan area centering on Nagoya city which showed
the position in Fig. 1. This is Japan’s third largest
metropolitan area, which together with the Tokyo and
Keihanshin (or Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe) metropolitan areas
constitute the Big Three metropolitan areas of Japan. The
population flowed in centering on adjacent prefectures
around from the 1950s in these three metropolitan areas.
Table 1 shows the population of three major
metropolitan areas in Japan. From this table, the Chubu
metropolitan area, as compared to the other two of the Big
Three metropolitan areas, is larger in land area and smaller
in population. Because of the relatively low population
density, urban districts within the Chubu metropolitan area
are less crowded. The gaps are huge particularly when
compared to the Tokyo metropolitan area, the largest
metropolitan area of Japan, whose population and
population density are respectively three and five times
greater than those of the Chubu metropolitan area.
However, due to the increasing industrial activities in the
recent years especially in the manufacturing sector, the
Chubu metropolitan area is now being pointed to as an area
where the economic conditions are the most favorable in
Japan. The World Exposition 2005, Aichi, Japan, was held
in the northeast suburbs of Nagoya.
B. City Planning Based on Green Space Development in
Japan
According to Yamamoto (2009a) [4], Japan’s green
space development can be broadly classified into three
phases. The first phase is the period of some 35 years from
1932 to 1968, during which the Green Belt concept that E.
Howard proposed in the U.K. in 1898 was introduced in
Japan and efforts were made toward its realization. The
second phase is the subsequent period of about ten years
from 1968 to 1977. In this period, the New City Planning
Law was enacted whereby the Green Belt concept was
replaced by a new concept, the Urbanization Control Area.
The third phase covers the period from 1977 to the present.
In this phase, the urban green space planning system was
established and a Master Plan for Parks and Open Spaces
was formulated whereby greening on a small district level
became subject to planning.
Of these three phases, I examine the first and second
phases in more detail. With the launching of the green space
plan in Tokyo in 1939, the Green Belt concept was
introduced in Japan. In 1946, the Law for the Conservation
of Suburban Green Zones in the National Capital Region
was enacted. However, due to strong opposition from
landowners, the Green Belt plan was turned into a feeble
program that managed only very modest development of
green spaces. Within the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area
in particular, there was a plan to develop Green Belts in
areas some 20km away from the center of the city but it was
realized only partially. Miyashita Park (see Fig. 2), a very
small park near Shibuya subcenter of Tokyo, is said to be a
remnant of the Green Belt developed at that time.
The Green Belt concept changed with the enactment of
the New City Planning Law in 1968. The law introduced a
demarcation system dividing the urban planning area into
two types of areas, the Urbanization Promotion Area in
which urbanization is promoted and the Urbanization
Control Area in which urbanization is restricted. Of these,
the Urbanization Control Area inherited the idea of the
Green Belt concept in that the designation of such an area
was aimed at preventing the sprawling of urban areas.
However, because the Urbanization Control Area was also
defined as a candidate for future development, the original
purpose of the Green Belt concept was lost. Then, in the
third phase, the whole scope of a city was made subject to
city planning to promote the greening of urban spaces –
including those under private ownership – on a small
district level, rather than trying to develop green spaces of a
certain designated scale or greater.
C. The Distribution Situation of Green Spaces in the Study
Area
Table 2 shows the public green space per population of
the central cities of three major metropolitan areas in Japan,
New York, Los Angels, Montreal, London, Paris and Bon.
From this table, it is evident that the large cities in Japan
have remarkably few amounts of green spaces compared
with other large cities of advanced nations. This is because
the land use control are too weak in Japan that it is easy to
make green spaces applicable to development as compared
with many foreign countries. This table also shows the
public green space per population of Nagoya is remarkably
less than the ones of large cities in foreign countries, and it
is more than the ones of other Japanese large cities except
Kobe.
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, Pp. 168-180, Apr. 2012.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
170
Moreover, the following figures show the central parts
of three major metropolitan areas in Japan. Fig. 3 shows
Yoyogi Park and Meiji-jingu shrine which are located near
the Shinjuku subcenter of Tokyo. In the central part of
Tokyo, except for these, there are no large-scale parks and
green spaces, and the high density urban areas continue to
the suburbs.
Fig. 4 and 5 show respectively Osaka which is
maximum city and Kobe of the Keihanshin metropolitan
areas in Japan. In the center of Osaka of Fig. 4, the urban
density is the highest and there are very few open spaces.
Furthermore, concretely speaking, except for Osaka Castle,
Osaka Castle Park and Tennoji Park, etc. in the central part,
there are very few parks and green spaces. Kobe of Fig. 5 is
the city which the great earthquake happened in January,
1995, and the revival enterprises have been promoted even
now. However, since there are very little flat grounds, the
high-density urban areas have been formed in the narrow
areas and housing developments have been progressing in
the mountains and marine reclaimed land.
Fig. 6 shows Nagoya and Fig. 7 shows its nearby areas.
Fig. 6 shows Nagoya’s city center and Central Park as seen
from the TV Tower in the central district of the city,
whereas Fig. 7 showing the city center and nearby areas,
have been taken from the Higashiyama Tower in the eastern
part of Nagoya. Although urban density in the central
district of Nagoya is high, there still remain several open
spaces even within the city center. The wide roadways
running through the city center and the relatively modest
presence of high-rise buildings – as compared with the other
two metropolitan areas – are the major characteristics of the
Chubu metropolitan area. Also, suburban areas in the Chubu
metropolitan area have more forests and farmlands than
those in the other two metropolitan areas.
4. Collection and Processing of
Data
In this study, the detailed digital maps (10m mesh) for
three major metropolitan areas created by the Geographical
Survey Institute of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and
Transport were used in the analysis evaluation stage of
Sections 5, 6 and 7. These detailed digital maps are 10m
mesh land use data mainly deciphered and created from the
aerial photos. They were created by 5 times in the five
whole years about three major metropolitan areas in Japan
such as the Tokyo metropolitan area, the Keihanshin
metropolitan area and the Chubu metropolitan area.
The land uses are classified into 15 items such as forest,
paddy field, dry field, open space, and developed areas,
industrial area, general low layer residential section, high
density low layer residential section, middle and high layer
residential section, commercial section, road, park and
green open space, other public spaces, river and lake and
others. In addition, the public green spaces of this study are
mainly pointed to parks and green open space among these
land use classifications of minute numerical value maps,
and this was set as the object of analysis evaluation.
On the other hand, since GIS have various functions for
database creation, information analysis, information
provision and sharing and decision making support, they are
often used especially in the academic field of city planning
and regional planning in a versatile manner (Yamamoto,
2009b) [17]. In this study, using the functions of ArcGIS
and ArcView for database creation and information
analysis, these digital maps are processed into the form
which can be used was and they are used for the analysis
evaluation subsequent to Sections 5, 6 and 7.
Honshu
Hokkaido
Kyushu
Shikoku Okinawa
Keihanshin metropolitan area
Chubu metropolitan area
Tokyo metropolitan area
Tokyo
Osaka
NagoyaHonshu
Hokkaido
Kyushu
Shikoku Okinawa
Keihanshin metropolitan area
Chubu metropolitan area
Tokyo metropolitan area
Tokyo
Osaka
NagoyaHonshu
Hokkaido
Kyushu
Shikoku Okinawa
Keihanshin metropolitan area
Chubu metropolitan area
Tokyo metropolitan area
Tokyo
Osaka
Nagoya
Fig. 1 Location of Chubu metropolitan area in Japan
TABLE 1
THE DENSITY OF JAPAN’S THREE MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS (2005)
Metropolitan
areaPrefecture
Population
(Person)Area (km
2)
Population
density
(person/km2)
Tokyo Tokyo 12,577,819 2,187.1 5,751.0
metropolitan Saitama 7,053,689 3,797.3 1,857.6
Area Chiba 6,062,202 5,156.6 1,175.6
Kanagawa 8,785,638 2,415.5 3,637.2
Sum 34,479,348 13,556.4 2,543.4
Keihanshin Osaka 8,817,010 1,893.9 4,655.4
metropolitan Kyoto 2,647,523 4,612.7 574.0
Area Hyogo 5,595,212 8,393.3 666.6
Sum 17,059,745 14,900.0 1,145.0
Chubu Aichi 7,262,164 5,158.0 1,407.9
metropolitan Gihu 2,107,000 10,598.2 198.8
Area Mie 1,867,166 5,776.4 323.2
Sum 11,236,330 21,532.6 521.8 Note) The data of population and area is quoted from the homepage of each
all prefectures. TABLE 2
THE PER CAPITA PUBLIC GREEN SPACE OF LARGE CITIES (1994)
City m2/person City m
2/person
Tokyo 4.5 New York 23.0
Yokohama 3.7 Los Angels 21.5
Osaka 2.9 Montreal 13.1
Koyto 2.8 London 30.4
Kobe 13.5 Paris 11.6
Nagoya 5.3 Bon 37.4 Note) The data is quoted from Tokyo city white paper (1994) [18].
Yamamoto.: Evaluation of the Degree of the Sufficiency of Public Green Spaces as an Indicator of Urban Density in Metropolitan Areas in Japan: The Chubu Metropolitan Area.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
171
Fig. 2 Miyashita Park near Shibuya subcenter of Tokyo (October 2007)
Fig. 3 Shinjuku subcenter in the Tokyo metropolitan area (December,
2006)
Fig. 4 Umeda district in the central part of Osaka in the Keihanshin metropolitan area (April, 2007)
Fig. 5 Kobe in the Keihanshin metropolitan area (April, 2006)
Fig. 6 Central Park in the central part of Nagoya in the Chubu metropolitan
area (March, 2007)
Fig. 7 Eastern part of Nagoya in the Chubu metropolitan area (March,
2004)
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, Pp. 168-180, Apr. 2012.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
172
5. Comparison of the Distribution
Situation of Public Green
Spaces in Three Major
Metropolitan Areas
Section 5 compares the distribution situations of public
green spaces of three major metropolitan areas in Japan
using the detailed digital maps. In these maps shown in
Fig.8, 9 and 10, the areas shown in red are urban districts
and those blue are industrial zones, whereas the areas shown
in dark green, light green, and yellow respectively represent
forests, parks and green spaces, and farmlands. “Public
green spaces,” which are the main focus of this study, refer
to parks and green spaces, i.e. the areas shown in light green
on the digital maps.
A. Tokyo metropolitan area
The digital maps of Fig. 8 show the land uses in the
Tokyo metropolitan area in 1974, 1984 and 1994. There are
five ordinance-designated cities such as Yokohama,
Kawasaki, Chiba, Saitama and Sagamihara in addition to
Tokyo and the urban areas are connected in the Tokyo
metropolitan area. In the Tokyo metropolitan area, the
high-density areas continue to the area about 40km away
from the city center and the shortage of green spaces poses
a serious problem. When I compare land uses among the
three different points of time, it can be seen that the
distribution of urban districts has expanded further into the
suburbs and public green spaces diminished over the
20-year period. Particularly in areas surrounding Yokohama
on the southwestern side, forests decreased significantly
with substantial portions of the hilly areas converted into
residential areas over the years.
B. Keihanshin metropolitan area
The digital maps of Fig. 9 show the land uses in the
Keihanshin metropolitan area in 1976, 1986 and 1996. Four
ordinance-designated cities such as Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto
and Sakai are located in the Keihanshin metropolitan area,
and Osaka is the central city. Moreover, many middle-scale
cities of bedroom suburb locate around these four
ordinance-designated cities. From these digital maps
showing the land uses at the three different points of time, it
is clearly evident that the distribution of urban districts has
expanded further into the suburban areas over the 20-year
period. A particularly acute depletion of forests can be
observed in areas surrounding Kobe in the northwest, with
the hilly terrain rapidly turned into residential areas.
However, what is noticeable about the Keihanshin
metropolitan area is that there remain substantial public
green spaces and forests in the suburban areas, even though
public green spaces are extremely scarce in the city center
of Osaka.
Yokohama
Central City, Tokyo
Saitama
Chiba
Fig. 8 The land use transformation in the Tokyo metropolitan area (1974-1994)
Yamamoto.: Evaluation of the Degree of the Sufficiency of Public Green Spaces as an Indicator of Urban Density in Metropolitan Areas in Japan: The Chubu Metropolitan Area.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
173
Central City, Osaka
Kobe
Kyoto
Fig. 9 The land use transformation in the Keihanshin metropolitan area (1976-1996)
Central City, Nagoya
Fig. 10 The land use transformation in the Chubu metropolitan area (1977-1997)
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, Pp. 168-180, Apr. 2012.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
174
C. Chubu metropolitan area
The digital maps of Fig. 10 show the land uses in the
Chubu metropolitan area in 1977, 1987 and 1997.Nagoya is
the only ordinance-designated cities in the Chubu
metropolitan area and no other major cities are located
within the region. Instead, there are a number of mid- and
small-size cities located in areas surrounding Nagoya. The
formation of conurbations is less observable here as
compared to the other two major metropolitan areas. Thus,
areas characterized with high urban density are relatively
scarce in the Chubu metropolitan area, which is also
relatively rich in public green spaces. Comparison of land
uses among the three different points of time reveals that,
despite the progress of suburbanization over the 20-year
period, the depletion of public green spaces and forests has
been less acute than in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Farmlands in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the
Chubu metropolitan area have been converted into urban
districts and so have been forests in the northeastern part.
D. Comparison of three major metropolitan areas
From these observations of Japan’s three major
metropolitan areas, it is fair to say that the lack of green
spaces is posing a grave problem particularly in the Tokyo
metropolitan area in which highly dense areas extend as far
as 40 kilometers from the city center. This is also causing a
serious land use problem in the Tokyo metropolitan area. In
the Chubu metropolitan area, which is the prime focus of
this study, urban density is not as high as in the Tokyo and
Keihanshin metropolitan areas. However, the economic
growth and reinvigorated industrial activities, as witnessed
in the recent years, may result in greater urbanization of the
Chubu metropolitan area.
6. Evaluation in Three Major
Metropolitan Areas
A. Areas subject to evaluation and evaluation method
For the purpose of this study, in Section 6, city areas in
Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi – each of which is the main
prefecture respectively of the Tokyo, Keihanshin and Chubu
metropolitan areas – are designated as subject to evaluation.
This is because detailed digital maps are available for
almost all city areas in these prefectures and various
statistical data, collected under the conditions identical to
those used in this study, are obtainable.
I evaluate the degree of sufficiency of public green
spaces, focusing on the relationships between population
density and per capita public green space, whereby I sort
out the findings for each distance zone as designated based
distance from the city center to conduct a comparison and
further examination. Population density figures are based on
statistical data provided by the respective local government
concerned – i.e. the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and
the prefectural governments of Osaka and Aichi – whereas
public green spaces are calculated from data derived from
the latest detailed digital map available for each of these
city areas and statistical data.
Fig. 11, 12 and 13 show the relationships between
population density and per capita public green space
respectively in the 23 wards and 26 cities in Tokyo, 33
cities in Osaka Prefecture and 32 cities in Aichi Prefecture.
In assessing the relativity, distance from the central district
of each prefecture is also taken into account. The Cabinet
Ordinance for Enforcement of the City Park Law of Japan
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
18.0
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 20,000
Musashimurayama
Tama
Chiyoda Ward
Per capita public green space (m2/person)
Population density (person/km2)
Average 4.5m2/person
Average 10,533person/km2
◆0-10km
◆10-20km
◆20-30km
◆30-40km
◆40-50km
◆50-60km
◆60-70km
MinatoWard
Chuo Ward
Fig. 11 Population density and per capita public green space in 23 wards and 26 cities in Tokyo
Yamamoto.: Evaluation of the Degree of the Sufficiency of Public Green Spaces as an Indicator of Urban Density in Metropolitan Areas in Japan: The Chubu Metropolitan Area.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
175
provides that the standard area of a city park shall be 10
square meters per capita.
B. Tokyo
As shown in Fig. 11, the impact of distance from the
central district is visibly reflected in both the population
density and per capita public green space of the 23 wards
and 26 cities in Tokyo. Meanwhile, on average for the entire
city areas of Tokyo, population density stands at 10,533
persons per square kilometer and per capita public green
space at 4.5 square meters. That is, per capita public green
space in the city areas of Tokyo is substantially below the
standard level of 10 square meters. Per capita park area and
green area in Tokyo as a whole is 5.6 square meters but this
is because of the presence of vast parks and green spaces in
non-city areas that are not subject to evaluation in this
study, which pushes up the Tokyo-wide per capita average.
The average population density and per capita public
green space for Tokyo’s 23 wards respectively stand at
10,090 persons per square kilometer and 3.0 square meters.
Population density is higher in the wards closer to the
central district but no significant differences are observable
in per capita public green space. Of Tokyo’s three central
wards (Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato), only Chiyoda Ward –
the central core of Tokyo – has a relatively low urban
density, having a population density of 3,398 persons per
square kilometer and per capita public green space of 6.4
square meters. It is presumed that such an increase in per
capita public green space is a result of the decrease in the
ward’s population in the recent years.
The average population density and per capita public
green space for Tama areas of Tokyo (26 cities) are 7,387
persons per square kilometer and 5.9 square meters
respectively. Areas within 30-kilometer radius from the
central district of Tokyo are not much different from the 23
wards; population density is at or above 10,000 persons per
square kilometer and per capita public green space below 10
square meters in most cities located in these areas. As an
exception to this, the city of Tama, despite being located
within 30-kilometer radius from the central district of
Tokyo, has population density of 6,942 persons per square
kilometer and per capita public green space of 14.6 square
meters. Meanwhile, in areas at and beyond 40-kilometer
radius from the central district, the majority of cities have a
population density of less than 10,000 persons per square
kilometer and per capita public green space of 5 square
meters or more. The city of Musashimurayama, being
located within 40-kilometer radius from the central district
of Tokyo and having population density of 4,317 persons
per square kilometer, has per capita public green space of
17.7 square meters, the highest for a city area in Tokyo.
Judging from the above, it is evident that urban density,
as measured by public green spaces, is very high in the
entire city areas of Tokyo and particularly so in the 23
wards. It is also found that adequate plans for public green
space placement – those designed in accordance with the
relevant population distribution – have not been necessarily
implemented in the city areas of Tokyo although there are
vast parks and green spaces in non-city areas. It is thus
necessary to redefine the existing land and space use plans
for the entire city areas of Tokyo and to take a new look at
public green space placement plans for extensive
reexamination.
C. Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture is small in land area and cities are
densely located in areas surrounding Osaka City, with two
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
18.0
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000
Per capita public green space (m2/person)
Population density (person/km2)
Average 5.2m2/person
Average 5,418person/km2
◆0-10km
◆10-20km
◆20-30km
◆30-40km
◆40-50km
◆50-60km
◆60-70km
Kawachinagano
Osaka
Fig 12 Population density and per capita public green space in 33 cities in Osaka Prefecture
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, Pp. 168-180, Apr. 2012.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
176
thirds of the cities in the prefecture located in areas within
20-kilometer radius from the central district of Osaka City.
The average population density for the city areas of the
prefecture is 5,418 persons per square kilometer, roughly
half that of Tokyo’s city areas, while the average per capita
public green space is 5.2 square meters, roughly same as
that of the city areas of Aichi Prefecture. However, as
shown in Fig. 12, per capita public green space exceeds the
standard 10 square meters only in two cities, of which
Kawachinagano – located within 30-kilometer radius from
the central district of Osaka City and alone to have a low
population density of 1,070 persons per square kilometer –
has per capita public green space of 16.6 square meters,
conspicuously larger than the figures for other cities.
The impact of distance from the central district of Osaka
City is not observable both in population density and per
capita public green space. The population density ranges
from 10,000 to 12,000 persons per square kilometer for
cities located in areas within 10-kilometer radius from the
central district of Osaka City and from 3,000 to 8,000
persons per square kilometer for those in areas between 10-
to 20-kilometer radius, with their per capita public green
space ranging from 1 to 8 square meters. The majority of
cities located in areas at and beyond 20-kilometer radius
have a population density of less than 3,000 persons per
square kilometer but their per capita public green space
ranges from 2 to 10 square meters. Osaka City has a
population density of 11,843 persons per square kilometer
and per capita public green space of 3.3 square meters.
However, in approximately half of the cities located in areas
within 20-kilometer radius from the central district of Osaka
City, per capita public green space falls below the level of
Osaka City despite having a lower population density.
From these observations, it is evident that in areas
within 20-kilometer radius from the central district of Osaka
City there exist cities with greater urban density than Osaka
City as measured in public green spaces. Therefore, while it
is necessary to further examine public green space
placement plans for the entire city areas of Osaka
Prefecture, the need is particularly acute for Osaka City and
nearby areas.
D. Aichi Prefecture
The average population density and per capita public
green space for the city areas of Aichi Prefecture stand at
2,330 persons per square kilometer and 6.4 square meters
respectively. From this, it is fair to say that the Chubu
metropolitan area has a very low population density and
large per capita public green space as compared to the other
two metropolitan areas. However, as shown in Fig. 13, per
capita public green space exceeds the standard 10 square
meters only in four cities, of which three are located in areas
at and beyond 30-kilometer radius from the central district
of Nagoya. In particular, the city of Shinshiro, located in an
area at and beyond 60-kilometer radius from the central
district of Nagoya, has an extremely low urban density as
compared to those of other cities, with its population density
at 306 persons per square kilometer and per capita public
green space at 19.8 square meters.
The impact of distance from the central district of
Nagoya is visibly reflected in population density but not so
much in per capita public green space. More specifically,
cities closer to Nagoya tend to have a high population
density but per capita public green space in these cities are
not necessarily small. For instance, many cities at and
beyond 30-kilometer radius from the central district of
Nagoya – particularly those located in the northern part of
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
18.0
20.0
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000
Per capita public green space (m2/person)
Population density (person/km2)
Shinshiro
Nagoya
Okazaki
Seto
Inuyama
Kariya
Ichinomiya
Toyota
Average 6.4m2/person
Average 2,330person/km2
◆0-10km
◆10-20km
◆20-30km
◆30-40km
◆40-50km
◆50-60km
◆60-70km
Fig 13 Population density and per capita public green space in 32 cities in Aichi Prefecture
Yamamoto.: Evaluation of the Degree of the Sufficiency of Public Green Spaces as an Indicator of Urban Density in Metropolitan Areas in Japan: The Chubu Metropolitan Area.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
177
Aichi Prefecture – have less public green space per capita
than Nagoya that has 6.8 square meter public green space
per person.
What is observable from the above is a sort of reverse
phenomenon, i.e., urban density, as measured in public
green spaces, is higher in suburban cities than in Nagoya.
This is presumably attributable to the failure to give
sufficient consideration to public green space placement
within these suburban cities because of the vast presence of
land kept in natural use such as mountains and forests. It is
thus necessary to work out plans for placement of public
green spaces, such as parks and green areas, in due
consideration of the distribution of natural green spaces
such as mountains and forests.
E. Summary of evaluation results
From the above observations, it has become evident that
Tokyo, as the center of the Tokyo metropolitan area, stands
out with the extremely high urban density of the city areas –
and particularly of the 23 wards – as compared to Osaka
and Aichi prefectures respectively as the center of the
Keihanshin and Chubu metropolitan areas. It is thus
necessary for Tokyo to rigorously reexamine its plans for
public green space placement along with other relevant
plans such as those concerning the use of land and spaces.
The urban density of the city areas in Osaka Prefecture is
not as high as those in Tokyo. But there is an acute need to
further examine public green space placement plans
particularly for Osaka City and its nearby areas.
Although the urban density of city areas is substantially
lower in Aichi Prefecture than in Tokyo and Osaka
Prefecture, it is necessary for Aichi Prefecture to work out
plans for placement of inner-city public green spaces, such
as parks and green areas, in due consideration of the
distribution of natural green areas such as mountains and
forests. The economic growth and increasing industrial
activities witnessed in the Chubu metropolitan area, with
Aichi Prefecture in its center, must be taken into account as
these factors point to the possibility of greater urbanization
of the region in the coming years.
7. Detailed Evaluation in the
Chubu Metropolitan Area
A. Extraction of areas under evaluation
In Section 7, city areas in Aichi Prefecture are
designated as areas subject to detailed evaluation in the
Chubu metropolitan area. This is because detailed digital
maps are available for almost all city areas in the prefecture
and various statistical data, collected under the conditions
identical to those used in this study, are obtainable. The
areas for which detailed digital map data are available have
been divided into Nagoya as the central city and two outer
areas based on the direct distance from Nagoya’s city
center, namely, suburban areas within 20-kilometer radius
and outskirt areas within 40-kilometer radius from the city
center.
Two cities from each of these areas have been picked as
representative cities subject to evaluation. Table 3 shows
the regional characteristics of the cities under evaluation,
and Fig. 14 provides summaries of locational conditions of
these representative cities focusing on the direct distance
from Nagoya’s city center. When a per capita area is seen
especially among public green spaces based on Table 3, it
turns out that this areas of the suburban areas and outskirt
areas are not necessarily larger than that of Nagoya.
TABLE 3
REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITIES FOR EVALUATION
Evaluation
AreaCity
Direct
distance from
Nagoya's city
center (km)
Population
(Person)
Public open
space per
population
(m2)
Central part Nagoya - 2,202,111 6.8
Seto 16.7 131,380 7.9
Ichinomiya 16.7 378,503 4.9
Inuyama 21.2 74,670 4.9
Kariya 21.3 139,178 8.2
Okazaki 35.2 367,792 10.1
Toyota 35.7 422,993 11.5
Outskirt
areas
Suburban
area
Note) The data of population is quoted from the homepage of Aichi
Prefecture.
Nagoya
Inuyama
Kariya
Okazaki
Ichinomiya
Seto
20km
40km
Shinsiro
60km
Fig. 14 Evaluation cities (Aichi Prefecture)
B. Evaluation results
The maps in Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 show how land is used
in Nagoya as well as in two suburban cities located within
the 20-kilometer radius from Nagoya, namely, Seto in the
northeast and Ichinomiya in the northwest. Zones shown in
light green represent public green spaces. In the city of
Nagoya, there exist few public green spaces apart from
Nagoya Castle Park and Central Park. The city of Seto
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, Pp. 168-180, Apr. 2012.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
178
abounds in forest-covered hills with the extensive
distribution of public green spaces observable in areas along
urban districts in the central to southwestern part of the city.
In Ichinomiya, urban districts are densely located in the city
center but areas surrounding these districts abound in public
green spaces.
I present the evaluation results for outskirt areas, again
based on land use maps. The maps in Fig. 17 illustrate how
land is used in two cities located within the 30-kilometer
radius from Nagoya, i.e. Inuyama in the north and Kariya in
the southeast. In Inuyama, forest-covered hilly terrain is
observed in the eastern and northern parts of the city, while
the central part of the city is characterized with modest
urban density and the extensive distribution of public green
spaces. In the city of Kariya, urbanization has taken place
along major roads, resulting in the widely dispersed location
of the urban districts and extensive public green space
distribution in the surrounding areas.
The maps in Fig. 18 illustrate how land is used in two
cities located within the 40-kilometer radius from Nagoya,
i.e. Okazaki in the southeast and Toyota in the east. In
Okazaki, with forest-covered hills lying in the eastern part
of the city, urban density in the central urban area is greater
than in other cities located in the same distant zone, but
extensive public green space distribution is observed in the
southwestern part of the city. In Toyota, urbanization has
advanced along main roads and railways, and urban density
is as high as that in Okazaki. However, large-scale public
green spaces distribute around urban areas and mountainous
areas locate in the eastern part of the city.
0 5 km
Fig. 15 Land use in Nagoya in central area (1997)
0 5 km
Fig. 16 Land uses in Seto in the direction of northeast (left map) and Ichinomiya in the direction of northwest (right map) within 20km (1997)
Yamamoto.: Evaluation of the Degree of the Sufficiency of Public Green Spaces as an Indicator of Urban Density in Metropolitan Areas in Japan: The Chubu Metropolitan Area.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
179
From these observations, we can say that cities in the
outskirt areas, as compared with those in the central and
suburban areas, feature more extensive forest coverage in
the hilly terrain. Cities in the outskirt areas also have
extensive public green space distribution observable even in
the city centers. As for cities in the central and suburban
areas, it is necessary to consider ways to secure adequate
public green spaces particularly in the city centers.
8. Conclusion and Subject for
Future Research
The purpose of this study is to evaluate, as an indicator
of urban density, the degree of the sufficiency of public
green spaces such as parks and green areas in particular the
Chubu metropolitan area in Japan. The findings of this
study can be summarized into the following four points:
(1) Lack of green spaces is more acute in Japan’s
metropolitan areas than in those in other developed
countries. In the Chubu metropolitan area, urban density
is not as high as those in the Tokyo and Keihanshin
metropolitan areas but urbanization may accelerate in
the future due to the economic growth and further
concentration of industrial activities in the region. Yet,
the Chubu metropolitan area features the city center that
still accommodates several major open spaces and wide
roadways, while the suburban areas in the region enjoy
greater presence of forests and farmlands than in the
other two metropolitan areas.
(2) It is observed that among the three major metropolitan
areas of Japan, the Tokyo metropolitan area has a
particularly high urban density, as measured in public
green spaces, with its city areas characterized by an
extremely high population density and extremely low
per capita public green space. It is thus necessary for
Tokyo to rigorously reexamine its plans for placement
of public green spaces along with other relevant plans
such as those concerning the use of land and spaces.
(3) The Chubu metropolitan area has suffered green space
depletion in the suburban areas in the east of Nagoya
over the 20-year period from 1977 to 1997. The impact
of distance from the central district of Nagoya can be
vividly observed in population density but not so much
in per capita public green space. However, the greater
the distance from Nagoya, the greater the forest
distribution in the hilly areas and so is the presence of
public green spaces within city centers. Meanwhile,
green spaces are scarce in the city centers of Nagoya
and its suburban areas because urban districts are
densely clustered there. It is therefore necessary to
0 5 km
Fig. 17 Land uses in Inuyama in the direction of north (left map) and Kariya in the direction of southeast (right map) within 30km (1997)
0 5 km
Fig. 18 Land uses in Okazaki in the direction of southeast (left map) and Toyota in the direction of east (right map) within 30 km (1997)
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, Pp. 168-180, Apr. 2012.
International Journal Publishers Group (IJPG) ©
180
secure adequate public green spaces in such city centers.
(4) Urban density is particularly high in the central parts of
Japan’s three major metropolitan areas and it is
extremely difficult to create new green spaces within
the existing urban districts there. It is thus
necessary-and important as a way to alleviate the heat
island phenomenon and to conserve urban
environment-to promote the greening of urban areas,
not only public land but also land under private
ownership, by means of rooftop and wall gardening of
buildings.
As a subject for future study, a more detailed analysis of
the areas evaluated in this study is needed to identify-on a
district-by-district or grid-by-grid basis-the areas where
public green space are scarce, and then to propose a set of
viable reform measures.
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Kayoko YAMAMOTO received
the B.H. Degree and M.H. Degree
in Geography from Ochanomizu
University in 1992 and 1994
respectively, and Ph.D. Degree in
Social Engineering from Tokyo
Institute of Technology in 1999.
She is currently an associate
professor in the Graduate School of
Information Systems, National University of
Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan. Her research
interests include city planning and regional planning,
environmental science and GIS (Geographic Information Systems).