Abstract
Under the depopulation society in Japan, the hollowing out and suburbanization of urban areas have become very serious problems, but an appropriate analytical tool for land use transition has not yet been proposed. This study analyzes the transitions in socio-demographic characteristics of small area units in the Fukuoka and Kitakyushu metropolitan areas by applying a topic model to geographical data. Plotting the topic shares on a map clarified the spatial distribution of topics, and the transitions between two cross-sections were analyzed along with other geographical characteristics. Our empirical study showed that the topic model could clearly and quantitatively describe the transitions between two cross-sections of these urban areas. The topic model revealed that the urban center of the Fukuoka metropolitan area was expanding, while the urban center of the Kitakyushu metropolitan area was shrinking. In suburban areas, both metropolitan areas had increasing low-density residential and commercial land use. In the Kitakyushu metropolitan area, this transition could seriously threaten the sustainability of land use, since the total population had significantly decreased.
Highlights
In Japan, the rapid influx of population and motorization has led to the spread of urbanized areas into low-density suburbs since the 1960s [1]
There are many topic models that have been proposed, and the basic idea behind them is shown in the probabilistic topic generation model using Dirichlet distribution, called Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) [20]
The discussion for land use transition and its policy implication enabled by the observation of geographical topics will be demonstrated
Summary
In Japan, the rapid influx of population and motorization has led to the spread of urbanized areas into low-density suburbs since the 1960s [1]. Uncontrolled suburban development, known as sprawl, leads to inefficient infrastructure provision and maintenance costs for people living in the area [2]. Suburban sprawl is associated with a decline in the residential population and commercial functions of urban centers; the expansion of residential areas has continued in the era of depopulation that began in 2008, threatening the sustainability of the regions. In 2014, a land use plan named the “Grand Design of Japan in 2050” was announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in Japan, which proposed a “compact city” concept composed of spatially agglomerated bases for daily life and a network of frequent public transport connecting the bases.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
