Abstract
Based on the survey of the present distribution of government offices, public institutions, wholesale stores, principal retail stores, department stores, amusement facilities and principal restaurants, the writer delimited the present urban center.
According to this survey, present urban center is mostly located on the north shore of Kushiro River between the railway station and the Nusamai Bridge and partly located on the south shore.
The built-up area and urban center originally developed near the harbour on the south shore, and after the opening of railway in 1901 the built-up area gradually expanded to the north shore and urban center moved with it.
After World War II, the built-up area expanded rapidly on the north shore and the most part of urban center also developed there. But areal expansion of urban center was not so considerable as that of the built-up area, since many residences were still remaining in the center of the city.
In the interior of urban center, principal shopping street developed and business offices and new buildings are concentrated near the Nusamai Bridge on the north shore. But functional differentiation of urban center is not yet clear and rearrangement work is still in progress in this area.
