Local Responses to a Rise in Housing Vacancies in the Nagoya Suburbs

Abstract

This chapter identified how residents’ perceptions of life differ between aging Japanese suburbs and housing estates with different mobility patterns through field surveys in the Nagoya metropolitan area. We conducted a field survey on the increase in housing vacancies, mobility patterns, and the housing supply in selected districts; topographic conditions; and the activities of local communities. In terms of the spatial structure of aging and the subsequent increase in housing vacancies, different patterns were confirmed that reflected the geographical features of the regions, such as population size, the distribution and volume of job opportunities, and the housing demand/supply balance in the region. In the Nagoya metropolitan area: As the third largest metropolitan area in Japan with an array of global and local industries, suburban shrinkage has progressed much more gradually than that in Tokyo. Thanks to the above-mentioned conditions, younger generations tend to find jobs and require detached houses in the area. Plus, suburban housing developments did not expand beyond the potential functional region in Nagoya. Even in Kani city, as it is within the 25–30 km commuter belt, it is commutable for younger generations even today. Therefore, continuous demand for housing in the suburbs supported an inflow of younger people to some selected neighborhoods. However, there are some neighborhoods that cannot appeal to younger people. Competition among suburban neighborhoods will be accelerated, resulting in gap expansion in terms of the residential environment and sustainability among neighborhoods.