Historical Research on Opening and RenovatingProcess of Otaru Park and Temiya Parkfrom Sociocultural Perspective

Abstract

This study discusses sociocultural changes in society in relation to parks by examining changes in government policies, the construction of port cities and parks, and characteristics of parks in Hokkaido before opening Otaru park and Temiya park located in Otaru city as a case study. Based on changes in society, historic document records were used to public and government perception toward opening and renovating Otaru Park and Temiya Park. Thus, the historical meanings of the parks could be established in terms of space and time, based on four parameters, namely, regional administration / residents' works,features required for park functioning, geographical characteristics of the parks, and the feature of the city when the parks were built. Further examination is required to improve parameters and data collection method for understanding the historical meanings of the parks from sociocultural perspective more deeply.