A Study on Occurrence Factors of Vacant Houses in the Hilly Residential Area

Case study of Ryojo, Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture

Abstract

In Japan, the increasing number of vacant houses is becoming a major urban problem. In general, vacant houses appear in unattractive environments, especially in sloping areas. A steep slope is a crucial element that generates a disadvantage in daily life and affects the vacancy status. Studies on vacant houses have focused only on the macro-scale perspective. However, studies at the micro-scale still need to be conducted by considering the characteristics of the local physical components. Therefore, this study aims to understand the characteristics of vacant houses on urban land in the sloping area at the micro-scale. Chi-square residuals and cross-tabulation were conducted with important local physical components. The results revealed that vacant houses are mostly distributed in severe geographical areas. In addition, both the width of the front road and construction age affect the occurrence of vacant houses.