Takashi Aoki

Suburban poverty has been widely examined in growing metropolitan regions, where it is often linked to displacement, immigration, and rental market restructuring. Yet far less attention has been paid to how suburban poverty unfolds in shrinking urban contexts and how policy frameworks respond to such transformations. This study investigates the emergence and spatial differentiation of suburban poverty risk in postwar planned new towns within the Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe conurbation, a major Japanese urban region experiencing prolonged demographic decline.,Using 500 m mesh-level spatial statistics on household income and savings, combined with hierarchical cluster analysis and cohort-based population analysis, we identify areas of relative poverty risk and examine generational turnover, housing tenure, and spatial characteristics. The findings indicate that poverty risk in shrinking suburban environments does not primarily stem from the in-migration of disadvantaged households. Rather, at-risk new towns also tend to exhibit limited generational inflow and constrained cohort replacement, contributing to gradual asset depletion within owner-oriented suburban landscapes.,Unlike displacement-driven suburban poverty observed in Western contexts, this pattern reflects an internally evolving process associated with demographic aging and weakened intergenerational renewal. At the policy level, the analysis highlights a structural divide between welfare policy and urban planning, as regeneration strategies seldom incorporate socio-economic vulnerability into spatial policy frameworks. The findings underscore the need for more integrated approaches that align welfare systems with landscape and urban regeneration strategies in shrinking conurbations.

Urban perforation is a key spatial expression of urban shrinkage, as identifying perforation can quietly erode urban vitality and public service efficiency. This study examines the Densely Inhabited Districts (DID) of Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe Conurbation in Japan using 500m grid household data from 2005–2020 to construct a process-oriented, multi-period spatiotemporal framework. The observation intervals were T1 (2005–2010), T2 (2010–2015), and T3 (2015–2020), with overlapping windows G1 (2005–2015) and G2 (2010–2020). Local Moran's I identified five LL clusters of significant household decline: Continuous, Expansion, Succession, Emerging, Dissipate, and Other. The perforation dynamics were non-linear, with brief easing at T2, followed by a sharp rebound at T3. System conditions shifted from a relatively balanced Dissipate and Emerging mix in G1 to Emerging dominance in G2, signaling weakening regional resilience. Residential forms differ sharply; as city center pressure accumulated, the LL share rose from 3.36% to 6.95%. Newtown and Sprawl Suburb mirrored the moderate-then-surge path, driving the recent acceleration. Existing Residential Areas remained stable, and their LL share remained near 2% after T1. Dynamic modes clarify further these phenomena: Dissipate shares were high in G1, suggesting a reabsorption, and Emerging was concentrated in Newtown and the Sprawl Suburb in G2, whereas Continuous and Expansion are more prevalent in the city center. These episodic fluctuations may contribute to cumulative structural pressure. The findings from this spatiotemporal approach highlight the framework’s potential in identifying phases, enabling adaptive monitoring, and promoting intelligent contraction-oriented planning to increase cities’ resilience against shrinkage.

Rapid urbanization in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG), has transformed traditional villages into informal urban settlements. Inhabited by the indigenous Motu Koita people, these areas often lack formal planning and face challenges for sustainable development. Existing literature often overlooks the intersection of indigenous governance and Pacific urbanization, particularly in relation to clan-based land use. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the informal urbanization of Pari Village. Using mixed methods, literature review, interviews, field observations, GIS mapping, and visual analysis, the research investigates how government and local landowner decisions influence Landside (LS) and Seaside (SS) settlement patterns. The key findings are as follows: (1) Clan-based, conservative land use patterns in Pari Village remain largely intact and have persisted despite urban pressures. (2) Customary governance operates alongside, and endures despite, ongoing urbanization, helping to preserve indigenous practices. (3) Tensions persist between indigenous tenure and state planning, and these actively shape the resilience and persistence of clan structures. These findings emphasize the need for a culturally sensitive framework to modernize indigenous governance, and the study proposes policy recommendations for formalizing settlements and promoting sustainable development without compromising cultural heritage.

The conurbations that have expanded over the past several decades need to optimize the size of their cities and reconsider interregional cooperation as the social background changes, such as increased sustainability and declining population. In this context, new-towns and rural areas on the periphery of urban conurbations, which have tended to be discussed only concerning the relationship with central urban areas, are experiencing aging and declining populations and an increase in vacant lots and vacant houses. In this study, we attempt to construct a new way of collaboration and living areas that are not bound by conventional urban logic by integrating suburban planned residential areas and farming and mountain villages as peripheral areas. As a first step, this paper will discuss the possibilities of the relationship from the perspective of residence and livelihood. Spatial statistical analysis based on the National census and human-flow data for the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe conurbation in Japan revealed a trend toward an increase in the agricultural workforce engaged in neighboring rural areas in new-towns on the periphery. In the future, it will be necessary to implement measures to improve new neighborhoods with an integrated focus on residence and livelihood.

Maintaining all residential areas per current population size is remarkably tricky in a depopulation. As seen in urban shrinkage and perforation, a shift to an appropriate urban scale is necessary. This study focused on workplaces adjacent to residential areas, which we defined as AD-W, to explore the possibility of acquiring centrality for future urban compactness regarding the polycentricity context. In this paper, we used several statistical surveys and analysis of human flow data by GPS. We then identified the characteristics of residential areas and workplaces and considered the residential distribution of people commuting to these workplaces. The current set of AD-W and neighboring NT is not a compact city in terms of job and residential proximity. However, with AD-W taking on the role of the workplace in areas located in the hinterland, it appears that a relatively compact commuting area is being formed within the conurbation rather than commuting from the outer edges of the conurbation to the central urban areas as has been the case in the past. Furthermore, AD-W has the potential to gradually transform itself into one of the core polycentric cities, mainly located in the conurbation periphery in the future.

A unified original townscape may affect the identity and value of the area. However, it is not easy to maintain the original design as time passes. This study aims to clarify the actual remaining state of exterior form within suburban detached residential areas and explore the influencing factors. For data collection, visual observation of the site and a literature survey on the housing map was conducted. For analysis, we conducted the cross-tabulation, chi-square test, and association analysis. The following results are obtained: 1) In about 80% of the lots, both planting belts and hedges are maintained after 23-37 years of development. The hedge is more likely to disappear than the planting belts, 2) Rebuilding, household alternation, and multiple flat parking spaces are three significant factors influencing the disappearance of planting belts and hedges. The impact of rebuilding is the predominant factor in the disappearance of both. Furthermore, the impact of rebuilding is strengthened when combined with household alternation or multiple flat parking spaces, and 3) The relationship between the remaining exterior features and duration after development by the areas and joining communal building agreements was not confirmed.

This study explored the possibility of reorganizing transit-oriented urban structures from the way residents’ trip destinations are tied to the station sphere. We observed the compactness and concentration of trip destinations around railway stations for various purposes. Many municipalities fall under the compact city policies of the state for expanded conurbations, to optimize their current economic and population situation. Our survey that was conducted in the field of activity spaces scopes the case of the conurbation with de popularization. We established the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe conurbation as our research objective and used the 2010 Person Trip Census data for the overall analysis. In this study, we analyze “Commuting,” “Purchasing,” “Leisure, and” “Ordinary Task.” As a result, it is suggested that even the mature conurbation with population decline has the potential to encourage people to compact their residential areas and destinations. Moreover, the overlap between these destinations also provided a perspective on proper use based on each railway line and location characteristics within the conurbation. We observed 16 patterns that fell under the four types of destination agglomeration, where a relationship with the station's location was apparent.