2025 Volume 23 Issue 4 Pages 479-
This research aims to investigate the factors behind the establishment of each station along the railway line and clarify changes in station characteristics during subsequent changes in the urban area around the station, thereby obtaining knowledge for promoting future use of railways. First, for the 41 stations on the Nankai Line from Namba Station to Wakayama City Station, we investigated the opening times of the stations and their surrounding areas and categorized them according to their characteristics. Next, we investigated the land use situation within a 500-meter radius within walking distance of the current station, investigated the land use characteristics around the current station, and classified them into five categories. In the end, we compared the characteristics of the station at the time of its opening and the present, categorized the changes, and clarified the trends in the changes in station characteristics. As a result, when the station opened, the entire line had a variety of local industries as well as tourist and recreational areas. However, today, the industrial structure and land use around stations have changed, and the main industry of stations that were once industrial development areas has shifted to coastal industry, and there are many stations whose land use has changed from tourist and recreational areas to industrial areas and then residential areas.
