The Assessment of Streetscapes which Evoke the Sense of Being in a Hot Spring Locale : A Case Study of Streeetscapes in Obama Hot Spring Areas, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

摘要

This research assesses streetscapes which evoke the sense of being in a hot spring locale. The main findings are as follows. 1) To develop the physical characteristic index to assess streetscapes which evoke the sense of being in a hot spring locale, two factors are identified through a literature review and an interview ((1) a sign of the presence of a hot spring, (2) a sign of people' presence). To assess a sign of hot spring and a sign of people's presence in a streetscape, 4 physical characteristic indices were developed. A physical characteristic index used to assess a sign of the presence of a hot spring is the density of points giving off steam which comes from hot water running along the street. The index of the presence of people is (a) the density of building doorways along the street (The higher the density of building doorways along the street, the higher the score for the presence of people), (b) the width of die street (The narrower the streets, the higher the score for the presence of people) and (c) the ratio of the width of the street and the height of the building (D-H ratio). The lower D-H ratio (narrow street, high building), the higher the score for the presence of people. 2) In a case study, we asked people to rate the streetscapes in Obama hot spring areas, Nagasaki Prefecture, using the physical characteristic indices we developed. Streetscapes which were highly-rated were the older central areas. Based on these findings, we propose a list of considerations for reviewing the management to make full use of streetscapes which evoke the sense of being in a hot spring locale in Obama hot spring areas.