Historically, streets have been designed mainly for the use of automobiles. However, converting to low carbon society and the shift to an ageing population have led to a change in street planning that is more human-oriented. Specifically, streets in residential areas are important spaces of communication for residents. These communication areas extend healthy life expectancies, provides benefit for local children, and enable residents to support one another during disasters. Europe has long been the leading automobile society, and the Woonerf concept in the Netherlands has led the streets to not only be for the use of vehicles but also clearly makes them available for residents. Japan is learning from Europe and has adopted district street countermeasures in the 1980s. However, Japan’s conception of the street hasn’t been focused on spatial constitution and utilization as a “living place”. In recent years, there have studies and cases that examine the use of roads and streets as shared human spaces. Nevertheless, the focus is on main streets and shopping streets and there are different perspectives on streets in residential areas with regards to the concept of “living place”.
This study is intended to provide effective knowledge on the requirements for the sustainable management and utilization of community spaces. We studied two Home Zones -the UK equivalent of a Woonerf- that were implemented about 15 years ago in order to investigate the current situation of the implemented areas, the usage, and maintenance of the community spaces, and the involvement of residents and local communities in planning processes and management up to the present day.
In conclusion we discussed sustainable management and utilization from the view point of “Activity”, “Place” and “Entity”. 1) “Community activities that meet residents’ needs”. Residents in regeneration areas, such as Northmoor, require support to improve local living standards. In addition, residents with higher living standards require support to improve their quality of life. 2) “Deals with places where people meet”. In these case studies, the permanent community centers are in the center of the area and are bases for community activities. Furthermore, a casual place, such as the launderette, have the potential to be used by residents for daily social interactions. Thus, it is important to ensure that the operating staff are always on duty. 3) “People and organizations who contribute to community improvement”. Home Zone value is a process heavily oriented in building consensus among residents. Here, street representatives play a huge role. Home Zone projects encourage capable residents who desire community improvements to involve themselves in the process. These residents maintain involvement in conduct with the community association and focus on community conditions. Community associations are central actors in supporting the community activities. They are sustained through the involvement of capable residents and organizational support systems.
