2010 Volume 83 Issue 1 Pages 47-63
This study aimed to discuss the effectiveness of mixed development, which generates a socially mixed community, in avoiding the neighborhood aging problems that can arise in Japanese suburban neighborhoods. Discussions on social mix in Japan would contribute to the development of sustainable and inclusive communities. We examined the case of Narita New Town, which consists of diverse housing types, and clarified how and why socially mixed neighborhoods have been developed and sustained for decades. Hypotheses of this study on the relationship between mixed development and sustainability of an area were described: 1) mixed development can generate constant housing supply in the area, and it may cause substantial housing demands for both newly built and second-hand houses in the area; 2) supply of second-hand houses promotes movement of existing residents within the area; and 3) these active movements work efficiently to avoid the aging problem of the whole area, thus the area and their community can be sustainable for a long time. As a result, the elderly population rate of Narita New Town remained lower than that of Narita City. Within Narita New Town, the elderly population rate was higher in the old detached-house districts and luxury residential districts, and the residents tended to be white-collar. On the other hand, most of the rented house districts and detached house areas with blue-collar residents showed a lower rate. Therefore, a mixture of housing types and socioeconomic status work efficiently to maintain the sustainability of the town as a whole. In addition to the mixed development, adjacency to Narita Airport with its personnel turnover and support of community helped to maintain a pleasant residential environment in the town, and stimulated inflows of new comers and moves within the town, and thus sustainability was maintained in the town.
