Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2014

Presentation information

International Session (Poster)

Symbol H (Human Geosciences) » H-GG Geography

[H-GG01_29PO1] International comparison of landscape appreciation

Tue. Apr 29, 2014 6:15 PM - 7:30 PM Poster (3F)

Convener:*Mizukami Shogo(Department of Public Policy, School of Sociology, Bukkyo University)

6:15 PM - 7:30 PM

[HGG01-P08] Landscape Appreciation on Green Passages with Waterway in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo

*Susumu SADO1, Katsunori FURUYA1 (1.Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University)

Keywords:Edogawa ward, green passage, appreciation, impression, usage, creature

IntroductionEdogawa Ward equipped itself with the first water nature park in Japan in 1974, and sterilized purified water has been utilized in this park. By 1996, water nature parks with natural water had been also established with considerations for ecosystem. The focus of this study is inhabitation of living creatures and human usage in relation to differences between purified water and natural water. The objective of this study was determined to clarify the following three points at two green passages in Edogawa Ward: 1) impressions among the users, 2) behavior of users, and 3) inhabitation of living creatures. Comparing the aquatic life, more variety of living creatures was identified in natural water, and fewer in purified water. Study MethodsFirst, an opinion survey about impressions of green passages was conducted among the green passage users. A survey questionnaire was directly handed out to 288 users on the 24th and the 28th of July and the 4th of August, 2013. The following four items were tested in this study: 1) if they like it, 2) if they feel good, 3) if the water is clean, and 4) if there are many living creatures. Following this questionnaire, a behavioral study was executed in order to compare the results of the opinion survey and the actual usage of green passages. This behavioral study was administered between 10:00 and 14:00 on the 25th and the 31st of July, 2013. The subjects of this research were fish, crustacean, reptiles (turtles), and amphibians (frogs). This research was conducted between 9:00 and 17:00 on the 17th, the 18th, and the 31st of July, 2013. The research area of the green passage was segmented into 27 sections.ResultsThe impression survey concluded that over 98% of the users had favorable impressions of both green passages from the results of two questions: if they like it and if they feel good. As for the question if there are many living creatures, 74.5% responded very many or many in the green passage with many natural water streams. Although the difference is small, relatively smaller figure of 65.6% responded very many or many in the one with purified water streams.The behavioral study result showed that the most popular usage among the eight categories was playing with water with over 25% of usage. The result was same with both green passages. Similar tendencies were detected with both passages with other activities which followed the most popular playing with water: resting, walking, and exercising, in order of popularity. The inhabitation research confirmed 14 kinds of aquatic habitat on the green passage with natural water, and nine kinds on the one with purified water. Among the confirmed aquatic habitat, reptiles and amphibians such as the Chinese three-keeled pond turtles, Mississippi common sliders, and Japanese toads were observed on the green passage with natural water; however, they were not found on the green passage with purified water. In addition, the average number of creatures per 100 meters counted 14.7 on the green passage with natural water, but the figure on the green passage with purified water counted only 7.0. More than double the difference was detected between the two.ConsiderationsBased on the research results of the two green passages, the difference in the inhabitation situation has been clarified. However, there were no significant differences detected in users impressions of the scenery and in their behavior. From these results, it can be inferred that the differences in aquatic habitat on the green passage does not have a significant influence on users impressions with the scenery or on their behavior. Futures researches on other factors such as vegetation and surrounding environment of a green passage, including grass and woods, shall further clarify favorability of sceneries and user behaviors.