(1) Quantitative effects of “compact” and “networked”

First, making an urban structure compact should help keep the core area, or a hub of necessities for daily livelihood, and the surrounding areas inhabited at certain density levels, resulting in enhanced sustainability of those daily livelihood service facilities, including medical care, welfare and commerce, that require a certain ambient population to survive. Given ready access to these services, either on foot or by means of a network of public transportation facilities, people would not only enjoy enhanced conveniences of their living but might be motivated to go out as part of their lifestyle to improve their health.

Other expected benefits might be financial, that is, cutting fiscal spending, as by streamlining the flow of offering public services, such as snowplowing and nursing caring, and relocating public facilities and also environmental, that is, reducing $ CO_{2} $ emissions by encouraging a shift in the mode of transport from automobiles to public transportation.

Let us look at the relationship between the population densities in DIDs having a certain population density or higher and various indicators relevant to the urban facilities, based on the municipal data. Medical care, welfare and commercial facilities and public transportation facilities may be thought of as a minimum suite of functionalities needed for daily livelihood to enjoy the convenience of urban living. The ratio of the number of people living within their walking distances

from all these facilities to the total population is noted as a ratio of fulfillment of daily livelihood services within walking distances. Analyses of the relationship between the ratio of fulfillment of daily livelihood services within walking distances and the population density indicate that the higher the population density of a DID is, the higher its ratio of fulfillment of daily livelihood services within walking distances gets, meaning that a more compact city has more of its people having access to these services within their walking distances to add to the convenience of their livelihood (Figure 2-2-5).

People having various facilities located within their walking distances are considered more likely to go out as part of their lifestyles. This could do good to the health of elderly people among else, because they would be more motivated to walk out of their homes when many of the facilities relevant to their daily livelihood are accessible within their walking distance in a compact city. Actually, a certain correlation is observed between the outing ratio of elderly people and the population density; more densely inhabited cities tend to have a higher outing ratio for their elderly citizens (Figure 2-2-6).

A Tsukuba University study conducted on elderly people has calculated a saving of JPY 0.061 in medical bills per step walked. If people have more opportunities to go out in a compact city, their medical bills might be slashed.

The preceding pages have reviewed the effects the idea of compacting may have upon people’s lifestyles. Its economic benefits are now considered.

Figure 2-2-5

Ratio of Fulfillment of Livelihood Services within Walking Distances

(Note) The ratio of fulfillment of daily livelihood services within walking distances is the ratio of the number of people living within their walking distances from the daily livelihood service facilities (medical care, welfare and commercial facilities) to the total population.

Source) Developed by MLIT from the 2010 “National Census”, MIC, the “Nursing Service Information Disclosure System”, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and “Census of Commerce”, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Figure 2-2-6

Outing Ratios of Elderly People

(Note) The outing ratio is calculated by the number of elderly people who have go out divided by the number of all the elderly people in the survey.

Source) Developed by MLIT from the "2010 National Census", MIC, and the "2010 Road Traffic Census", MLIT.