A Study of Roadside Shops in Rural-Urban Fringe Roadside Areas : Mitudagokenya Street, Kurashiki City, Japan

Abstract

This research clarifies the change in characteristics of a trunk road, Mitudagokenya Street (Kurashiki City, Japan), and the patterns of location of roadside shops along this road. Upgrading to a trunk road started in Mitudagokenya Street in the late 1980's, and was completed in 2001. During this period, road traffic and the population living along the street increased. In addition, the AEON Kurashiki Shopping Center and Tivoli Park, a Danish theme park, were located near the street. In the early 90's, supermarkets, small retail shops and detached houses were built along the street. In the late 90's, "Category Killers" (specialized discount stores) and chain restaurants gradually spread along the street. The commercial area along the street eventually had a mix of restaurants, specialized stores (e.g., "Category Killers") and stores selling daily commodities (e.g., supermarkets). When upgrading was complete, many chain restaurants were established in expectation of customers coming by automobile along the trunk road. As a result, the formation of a roadside commercial area caused the easing of land use regulations.