ACCORDING TO A SURVEY OF CHILDREN'S PLAY ENVIRONMENTS UNDERTAKEN IN 1974-1981, IT WAS FOUND THAT CHILDREN'S PLAY ENVIRONMENTS WERE DEGRADING SERIOUSLY IN BOTH URBAN AND RURAL AREAS. THIS RESEARCH, THROUGH INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS, IS CONCERNED WITH THE CHANGES IN CHILDREN'S PLAY ENVIRONMENTS OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS IN AN URBAN AREA (YOKOHAMA) AND A RURAL AREA (YAMAGATA) TO INVESTIGATE STRUCTURAL CHANGES THAT AFFECTED CHILDREN'S PLAY ENVIRONMENTS AND ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP POLICY AND PLANNING TOOLS FOR IMPROVING CHILDREN'S PLAY ENVIRONMENTS.
