Can Housing Foster Social Relationships?

A Case Study on Yokohama City in the Era of the Reformist Regime

Abstract

　Housing is a major key to increasing the sustainability of local communities. Particularly, rented accommodation can become commons that can be used temporarily by many people over several generations. However, the Japanese government encouraged the acquisition of owner-occupied houses and provided insufficient support for moving into houses to rent. Conversely, during the 1970s, many reformist local governments were born with the aim of expanding social welfare, including housing. This article examines the position and characteristics of the housing policy of the city of Yokohama during the period of the Asukata-led city government (1963-1978).

　During this period of rapid economic growth, the city of Yokohama faced the dual problems of soaring land prices and excess burden in expanding the quality and quantity of public rental accommodation. While the central government was reluctant to introduce subsidies, the Yokohama City local government managed to replace the housing problem with a “housing land” problem and secure land for public utility through the application of the housing land development guidelines. Furthermore, community development as the realization of social welfare was aspired to, but it was not linked to concrete projects or policies. Additionally, due to the spread of high-rise and high-density development and problems in the administration of the guidelines, the concept of “housing as a commons” was not developed and achieved by the Asukata-led Yokohama City government. If we consider that the path from housing development to community development was initially aborted due to the increased financial burden, it is necessary to strengthen the cooperation between the departments of housing and social welfare policy in a way that is relatively free from financial constraints.