The Proportion of National Land Value in Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

The land values of Tokyo, three prefectures adjacent to Tokyo (Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba), and six other metropolitan areas were examined for the period 1951-1970. Municipal property tax values were used to determine the proportion of national land value incorporated in these urban areas. A hierarchy of land values, as proportions of the national land value, was identified according to urban size and location within the hierarchy. The order of land value succession was found to be:Decreasing Proportion of Augmented Land Values¥ Giant City or MetropolisUrban FringeInner City¥ Large CitySatellite CityNon-Satellite City¥ Minor CitySatellite CityNon-Satellite CityThe structure of the hieararchy was found to be related to the rates of population growth increases and, in metropolitan agglomeration, to suburban land utilization changes from rural to urban use.It was also found that income level (purchasing power) is closely related to the formation of urban land values. As a proportion of national land value, the order of magnitude, using both population growth rates and income levels, is:Tokyo Metropolitan Area>Kanagawa Prefecture>Chiba Prefecture>Saitama Prefecture.It is concluded that the factors involved in the formation of metropolitan land values, particularly Tokyo, is highly complex.