According to the present City-Planning Law, farmland in Urbanization Promotion Area can be converted in to residential property, and is not protected by law. Yet, many pieces of farmland are in Urbanization Promotion Area. Although large amount of research has shown differences of the roles of such farmland playing for city dwellers, it is not clear how these roles vary in different areas.
This paper aims to clarify urban dwellers' opinions of the remaining farmland. Their opinions are deduced through a comparison of dwellers' ideas of rural and urban areas, along with their discussion of the role of farmland in the Urbanization Promotion Area in urban areas.
This research utilized a questionnaire survey asking city-dwellers' opinions about neighboring farmlands. Nakamichi of Nagai city and Miyauchi of Nanyo city in Yamagata prefecture as cases of rural areas, and Nishi-oizumi 4 chome of Nerima ward and Chitosedai 2, 4, 5 chome of Setagaya ward in Tokyo as urban areas were selected for comparative analysis. Respondents were selected from members of neighborhood associations. The total number of respondents were 1, 101.
Opinions of respondents in urban areas differed from those of respondents in rural area on the following points: 1) They expect supply of fresh agricultural products and recognize that farmland provides green vegetation and open space for disaster prevention. 2) They deeply understand the multi-functional roles which farmland has, and 3) they are against to the conversion of farmland.
These features were clearly found among the respondents living in the urbanized areas where little farmland remains; urban area respondents strongly recognized that remaining farmland in urban areas have important public roles.
If the City-Planning Law intends to reflect the city-dwellers' opinions clarified in this study, farmland must hold a clear position in city planning. It will be necessary to conserve farmland in areas where little farmland remains, especially in Urbanization Promotion Areas.