Causal Effect of Neighborhood Park Development on Urban Liveliness

Abstract

This study quantitatively analyzed the impact of neighborhood park development on urban liveliness in the Tokyo metropolitan area, examining both its actual effects and range of influence using statistical causal inferences methods. The analysis focused on neighborhood parks developed as of 2014 in the Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa prefectures. Urban liveliness was measured using three indicators: the population of children (ages 0–14 years), annual retail sales, and people flow. The results showed neighborhood parks have a positive effect on the population of children and people flow, whereas no significant impact was observed on annual retail sales. Additionally, the range of influence of neighborhood parks was estimated to be 500 m for the population of children and 300 m for the people flow. Furthermore, this study suggests that neighborhood parks can achieve greater effectiveness when developed in coordination with schools, hospitals, childcare facilities, and commercial facilities.