Residents' Perception and Behavior on Urban Riverfront along the Upper and Lower Reaches of the Arakawa, Central Japan

Abstract

This paper discusses the trend of urban residents' behavior and perception on riverfront. Special attention is given to the differences in behavior and perception corresponding to a river's physical condition which differs systematically from upper to lower reach. Field observation, questionnairing and environmental data collection were made in four areas along the Arakawa which shows a typical arrangement of gorges, alluvial fan, floodplain with natural levees, and delta, from upper to lower reach in Tokyo Metropolitan zone.
In Chichibu City where the river flows in a gorge entrenched in high and low terraces, residents use the river as natural environment and wish it to be conserved without significant artificial modification. In Kumagaya City located on alluvial fan, most popular activity is made on playgrounds constructed on a wide dry riverbed and further preparation of parks is desired. On the other hand, occupation of almost whole dry riverbed by numerous golf cources is disliked by residents of Kawaguchi City located in a big floodplain. In Sumida-ward of Tokyo, situated in a fully urbanized delta, recent remodeling of dikes to a riverfront-accesible type is favored by residents who feel strong affinities with traditional events such as a fire works display held every summer on River Sumida, the old main stream of Arakawa.
The areally differentiated human behavior and perception of riverfront in correspondence with systematic difference in a river's physical setting should be taken into consideration of urban river environmental management, in which construction of uniform facilities never provides proper measures.