Abstract
This study aims to analyze the changes of commercial structure during reconstruction process in the area damaged by the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and to show the factors influencing those changes. The findings were based on the results of field surveys carried out by the authors for five years after the earthquake and the analysis of digital maps covering the study area. In this study, the actual situation of restoration of retail stores in the area was shown from viewpoints of the total number and floor space of those stores. The factors, such as damages by the earthquake, store attribute and their location points, which encouraged new stores to open or obstructed local stores to reopen, were revealed.
