Factor Analysis of Scenic Streetscapes Selected through Citizen Surveys

Abstract

This paper analyzes the characteristics and factors of scenic streetscapes, which volunteer citizens researched and selected while participating in the 3rd Kyo-machiya Community-Building Survey from October 2008 to March 2010. The purpose of this survey was to identify the distribution of kyo-machiya, traditional wooden townhouses that are regarded as representative historical architecture in the city of Kyoto. In addition to determining the distribution of existing kyo-machiya throughout Kyoto, the 3rd survey also aimed at collecting detailed information on the façade designs and other features of the townhouses.
Volunteers played an important role by giving their ideas from the citizens' viewpoint on how to conserve the city's landscape. At the end of each one-day survey, the volunteers spent time together presenting and discussing the information collected as well as illustrating and explaining their thoughts on good examples of streetscapes and historical landscape components.
This survey collected geographic information on 1,070 scenic streetscapes and identified 47,735 kyo-machiya. Quantitative analysis of these streetscapes with the spatial distribution of kyo-machiya revealed the following characteristics. First, the citizen volunteers identified scenic streetscapes as not only traditional façades of kyo-machiya but also as everyday landscapes featuring shimotaya (modern kyo-machiya specifically for residential purposes) and terraced houses. Second, they highly evaluated areas rich in such “scenic streetscapes.” Those areas included Gion where numerous kyo-machiya with traditional façades are conserved and Nishijin where many typical kyo-machiya remain. We took a qualitative approach to investigate which factors led the citizen volunteers to select spots as scenic streetscapes by analyzing the remarks of both volunteers and local residents on scenic streetscapes and their impressions. The analysis showed that while the volunteers evaluated everyday streetscapes highly, the residents loved streetscapes that had not changed.
In summary, to understand what constitutes scenic streetscapes, we need to conduct not only quantitative analysis of spatial distribution of the attributes of kyo-machiya but also qualitative analysis of how both citizen volunteers and residents evaluate streetscapes. We therefore argue that landscape conservation policies should consider both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the landscape.