An evaluation of living convenience based on accessibility by individual attributes: A case study in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture

Abstract

In studies of living activities, the differences among individual attributes have attracted great interest. On the other hand, in studies of the living environment and living convenience individual attributes have rarely been taken into consideration because of methodological limitations. The main purposes of this paper are first to classify residence based on individual attributes and then to evaluate the living convenience of living-related facilities for each group. Attempts are made to grasp quantitatively the spatial differences of living conveniences in the various groups and the differences in living convenience between the center of the city and suburban areas. In geography, the measurements of accessibility are generally used for evaluating living convenience. In many studies, objective measurements such as the number of facilities and distance have been used to measure accessibility. However, in this paper, by incorporating a subjective evaluation into the objective measurements, a new model using subjective analysis is established. Residences are classified into eight groups: those for male laborers; female laborers; part-timers; full-time housewives; male students; female students; elderly men; and the elderly women. The study area is Iwaki city, Fukushima Prefecture, a local medium-sized city. The main findings of this study are summarized as follows: 1. Numerous living-related facilities are located around the central area of the city, and therefore this area had the highest living convenience score of any groups. There was little difference among the scores given by the different groups to the city center. 2. The scores for all groups gradually decreased from the central area outward. However, there were major differences in the distance decay effects of living convenience for each group. In the case of male laborers, female laborers, and elderly men, the distance decay effects were relatively weak. On the other hand, the distance decay effects for male students, female students, and elderly women were strong. Therefor there are significant differences in living convenience between the central area of the city and suburban areas.