Abstract
This study attempted to elucidate changes in outdoor activities (e.g., use of parks) and their factors before and after school size optimization in the case of children attending elementary schools in Sapporo City. As a result of the study, the following points were found. 1. As a result of case analysis of elementary schools that had been optimized, it was confirmed that there were two groups of children: those who increased their commuting distance to school after the optimization, and those who decreased their commuting distance. 2. The number of new friends increased after the optimization of the school size, and many children used parks they had never used before due to the expansion of the school district, which clearly expanded their living area. 3. Children whose commuting time to school expanded after the optimization of school size selected the parks they used because they were “close to home”. It became clear that the increase in commuting time to school due to the optimization of school size has resulted in a reduction in the amount of time children spend in outdoor activities.
