Mobility, Space, and Community: a Study on the Importance of Tokyo’s Car-free Local Shopping Streets as Social Spaces for Residents

Abstract

For Centuries, local shopping streets in Japan have been central to the lives of communities as spaces for trading, various forms of social interactions, and for cultural festivals. However, uncontrolled motorisation and the convenience of shopping malls is reducing the streets’ importance to the everyday life of residents. This study aimed at unearthing the underlying relationships between residents’ attributes and the use of nearby shopping streets. The survey targeted residents in the vicinities of two shopping streets in Tokyo: Honcho-dori street in Adachi Ward and Pearl Centre in Suginami Ward. The results affirm the importance of local shopping streets to the lives of those living in their vicinities; this is evident in the prominence of residents’ daily visits to the local shopping streets. Nonetheless, usage is largely restricted to necessary activities of shopping, while optional activities such as strolling and social interactions are side-lined in daily life. Additionally, years lived in the locality, the value placed on social interactions, and respondent’s age are statistically significant in explaining residents’ frequency of meeting acquaintances along the street in both cases although inconveniences and the reasons for choosing alternative destinations were additional explanations in Pearl Centre. We conclude that by evaluating the uniqueness of individual shopping streets and the population dynamics of the surroundings, urban planners can spur positive change for local residents to ensure functional, safe, and comfortable streets while encouraging rather than undermining business.