Changes in Kutchan Station Shopping Street from 1998 to 2020

－Focusing on Analysis of Industry Composition and On-site Layout－

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the changes between 1998 and 2020 in the Kutchan Station Shopping Street, a commercial district in a region undergoing the internationalization of its ski resorts, by comparing the industry composition and on-site Layout over that period. Analysis of residential maps and photographs from 1998 and 2020 revealed that, although there have been many new store openings and the area has not declined to the point of losing its function as a commercial district, the shopping street is transitioning a new spatial characteristic from its former state (shops stand side by side) to its new state (individual shops are scattered with parking lots around them). Furthermore, it was found that the industry composition has shifted to focus on shops used by tourists.