Aging Problems in Suburban Neighborhoods: A Case of Hiroshima Region

The Japanese suburban neighborhoods that were developed in the 1960s to 1970s are standing at a crossroads; one path leads to sustainable communities to which young people move, while the other leads to “ghost towns” in which both young generations move out when they grew up and old people leave their houses because of residing in a nursing home. Regarding the demographic characteristics and housing conditions of Japanese suburbs, a large number of housing estates are at risk of heading towards the second road. Aging and the increase in vacant houses is one of the most serious and urgent topics to be surveyed by scholars in a variety of academic backgrounds. This paper examine (1) aging problems in Japanese suburban neighborhoods with GIS methods, and (2) relationship between aging and increasing vacant houses in Hiroshima region; and (3)finally, we discuss generative process of vacant houses in local cities.