商店街の運営者意識と活動特性の関係性

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the living environments in neighborhood spaces (living environments based on the principle of normalization) from a variety of resident perspectives and, based on the results, to identify the future role and direction of shopping streets. The basic knowledge obtained in this study can be used to develop a systematic methodology for creating good spaces and functional distributions and so on that will allow those engaged in activities to play a leading role in future urban planning in neighborhood spaces. The study consisted primarily of a comparison of operator consciousness and activity characteristics, based on the interrelationships of people, activities and spaces. The following basic knowledge was obtained through the study. 1) From the standpoint of the stores and offices being operated, there was a connection between (a) activities related to the measures taken in the store to provide easy access for the elderly and physically disabled and the efforts in the area around the store and (b) the operator consciousness toward revitalization of the shopping street. 2) From the standpoint of the relational aspect of the shopping street as a whole, there was a connection between activities in the shopping street that also included promoting interchange in the community as a whole and operator consciousness toward revitalization of the shopping street and the degree of satisfaction with the shopping street. Moreover, based on a comparison of operator consciousness and activity characteristics: 3) In terms of “people,” operators with an awareness of use by users other than regular customer persons and able-bodied persons tended to be engaged in various activities in one's own store and the shopping street. 4) In terms of “activities,” operators with a low level of interest in future measures to provide easy access for the elderly and physically disabled also tended to be unmotivated with regard to current activities. 5) In terms of “space,” operators with an awareness of barriers at other stores were implementing measures to provide easy access for the elderly and physically disabled at their own stores, and operators with an awareness of barriers in the shopping street as a whole tended to be engaged in activities within the shopping street and local community and activities to revitalize the shopping street. This indicates a connection between awareness and activity. 6) A comparison of activity characteristics and operator consciousness with regard to shopping streets revealed that concerns regarding stimulation and overall degree of satisfaction were related to the aspects of the store or office being operated and the relational aspects pertaining to the shopping street as a whole. In particular, this study revealed that there is a correlation between activity characteristics and operator consciousness toward people, activities and spaces. Conversely, the results obtained from the study did not provide support for a cause-and-effect relationship between operator consciousness and activity characteristics. Continued research will be needed in the future in order to organize the trends in operator consciousness and activity characteristics, and to conduct a factor analysis. Moreover, the author intends to conduct a study of the actual situation and the consciousness of shopping street users, for the purpose of more deeply verifying the sustainability of living environments from the standpoint of diverse residents.