Urban centre revival and the changing locations of condominiums

Abstract

AbstractAfter major population decline in the 1970s, Japan’s urban centres experienced population recoveries as a consequence of urban centre revival (UCR). This research explored the transitions undergone by condominiums because of UCR since the 1990s in Nishi Ward, one of the six central wards in the city of Osaka, Japan. Osaka is representative of Japan’s other major urban centres, and its urban regeneration policies were considered a major factor affecting the UCR, which resulted in an increase in the number of urban centre condominiums. The main hypothesis was that the location of condominiums is gradually changing to areas with high accessibility to public transportation that are undergoing UCR. Analysis was made of 460 condominium buildings across the Waterfront, Central, and West areas of Nishi Ward from the 1970s to the 2010s. Gaps in the supply of condominiums and significant differences among the condominiums in the three areas were observed. Ultimately, the influence of local urban regeneration policy on the condominiums in Nishi Ward was found to be limited. Usefully, too, the work has wider significance for scholars wanting to understand intensive urban development.