(Note) Respondents were asked the question: "Which means of transportation do you use most commonly when you go out routinely? Please reply up to two means of transportation for each of the following purposes." As responses were collected, the response rate for 2008 was subtracted from that for 2014.

Source) Public Awareness Survey, MLIT

According to a public awareness survey conducted by the MLIT, fewer respondents mentioned “urban centers readily accessible by car” and “suburban areas” as appropriate location of urban facilities, including public facilities and commercial installations, whereas more answered “urban centers readily accessible by public transportation” as such. This may be suggestive of growing public demand for the consolidation of urban facilities and for public transportation networks that link these facilities together (Figure 2-2-3).

The means of transport actually used by people shows sign of change accordingly. Comparative studies of the means of transport by purpose used in 2008 and 2014 show that a growing number of people chose to stroll for many reasons, such as commuting to and from work and school, shopping, visiting hospitals, banks, post offices and municipal offices, whereas fewer chose to drive cars (Figure 2-2-4).

However, the status of public transportation varies

greatly from one locality to another, with its significance declining relatively mainly in provincial cities. For example, passenger buses carried 35% fewer passengers in FY2010 than FY1990. Further, since a total bus line of approximately 6,463 km has closed over the past five years, the number of passengers carried continues to decline, with the service level lowering.

Under these circumstances, the concept of “compact” and “networked” has been set forth in the “Grand Design of National Spatial Development towards 2050.” In this context, “compact” means a state of being cohesive with an enhanced spatial density, and “networked” means an alliance

Figure 2-2-4

## Changes in the Means of Transportation Used by Purpose from 2008 to 2014 (Response Rate Differences)

Work and student commu- tation	Shopping	Hospital	Banks, post offices, municipal offices	Dining, karaoke, leisure	Exercises, walking	Cultural facilities, such as libraries	Exchanges with friends and family members	Volunteer activities, community activities
Walking	2.6%	4.2%	3.7%	5.2%	4.9%	-0.1%	3.0%	-16.7%	-3.1%
Bicycle	0.9%	0.3%	-0.5%	-1.3%	1.6%	-3.8%	0.8%	-4.1%	-0.8%
Railway	1.3%	-2.1%	0.3%	-1.0%	-2.5%	-0.1%	-0.8%	11.8%	3.5%
Bus	1.1%	-0.7%	-0.6%	-1.4%	-0.3%	-0.3%	0.6%	3.1%	1.2%
Liner ship	0.0%	-0.2%	0.0%	-0.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%	-0.1%	0.1%
Car driven by self	-6.2%	-4.2%	-3.2%	-4.7%	-1.0%	1.8%	0.0%	7.5%	9.6%
Car driven by family members, etc.	-1.6%	-2.1%	-1.0%	-0.6%	-1.6%	0.0%	0.4%	1.6%	0.5%
Motorcycle	0.0%	0.6%	0.7%	0.0%	0.3%	0.1%	0.7%	0.8%	0.5%
Taxis	-0.1%	0.2%	-0.4%	-0.2%	-0.4%	0.0%	0.0%	0.3%	0.0%
Others	20.1%	0.3%	1.4%	0.7%	3.8%	6.0%	4.8%	4.8%	26.6%

with which localities are jointed together. Summing up, “compact” and “networked” means the act of concentrating a host of services needed for daily livelihood, such as public administration, medical and nursing care, commerce, banking and energy supply, into particular areas, which are linked together by traffic and information networking to provide coherent access to these services.

The progressively diminishing and aging population of Japan could give rise to a host of challenging tasks in the future, dictating responses from an urban structure’s perspectives. These responses might call, for example, for reviewing the structure of a community to keep a given district of the community inhabited at a certain density level while assembling medical care, welfare and commercial facilities, homes and the like in clusters or maintaining public transportation to give citizens, including the elderly, access to medical care, welfare and commercial facilities, etc., so the citizens will feel the services in daily need, including administrative, close at hand. What looms into significance is the concept of “compact” and “networked”.

A review of the benefits of “compact” and “networked” aided by data follows: