The University of Tokyo · Social Sciences
Professor Kojiro Sho's research lab specializes in urban sustainability and resilience, focusing on the interplay between urban planning, green infrastructure, and socio-spatial dynamics. Key research directions include the evaluation of nature-based solutions such as green and blue-green spaces for public health and climate adaptation, the impact of urban regeneration policies on housing markets and social equity, and the application of big data and machine learning to understand human behavior in urban environments. The lab also investigates innovative land-use planning tools, such as the Future Land-use Simulation (FLUS) model, to project and protect urban ecological networks over time.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
ABSTRACTThe transfer of development rights (TDR) has been widely used in the preservation of historic districts. The Dihua Street TDR (DS-TDR) in Taipei, Taiwan, successfully preserves the exteriors of historic buildings and traditional landscape in Dihua Street, without significant displacement of previous residents or increases in rents. This study describes this process as ‘alternative gentrification’, which facilitates the coexistence of traditional and new industries in historic districts,
• Twenty-one longitudinal studies of urban blue-green space and mortality were reviewed. • NDVI showed a more significant effect size than green land cover. • The impact of NDVI exposure on mortality was greatest at a 500 m buffer. • Effect size trends varied with buffer changes across mortality types. Exposure to urban blue-green space 1 1 HR: Hazard ratio, LULC: Land Use or Land Cover, NDVI; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDWI: Normalized Difference Water Index, PRISMA: Preferred Repo
COVID-19 has significantly affected the behavioural patterns of urban visitors. However, the non-linear relationships between visitor behaviour and built environments, particularly how these relationships have evolved during the pandemic, have not yet been extensively studied. Using over 10 million mobile big data records collected over three years in Fukuoka, Japan, incorporating the XGBoost machine learning model and SHAP-PDP interpretation method, we identified non-linear relationships betwee
The term “housing ladder” refers to the phenomenon of people moving from one housing type to another according to changing demands of different life stages. This phenomenon is observed in many countries and is known as the Jutaku Sugoroku Paradigm in the Japanese context. This study aims to clarify whether adult children's access to homeownership might be affected by their parents' homeownership and their place of origin. Questionnaire Data from a survey across Japan's two largest metropolitan a
The green infrastructure (GI) network, an important nature-based solution (NBS) strategy, is pivotal for sustainable urban development. However, current research perspectives focus on constructing a static GI network, and research on evaluating and protecting GI networks in the context of spatiotemporal changes has been limited. This study aims to comprehensively characterise the spatio-temporal changes in the GI network and protect its efficiency. We selected Dalian City as a case study and app
Abstract After major population decline in the 1970s, Japan’s urban centres experienced population recoveries as a consequence of urban centre revival (UCR). This research explored the transitions undergone by condominiums because of UCR since the 1990s in Nishi Ward, one of the six central wards in the city of Osaka, Japan. Osaka is representative of Japan’s other major urban centres, and its urban regeneration policies were considered a major factor affecting the UCR, which resulted in an incr
Exposure to the natural environment in urban neighborhoods is essential for community interventions to improve human health. Although cross-sectional evidence suggests potential benefits, the understanding regarding how to integrate stronger associations to improve natural environments remains lacking. This article synthesized longitudinal and experimental health evidence using different nature exposure indicators. We searched three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) for articles pub
As Japan faces a growing crisis of vacant housing, this study investigates the underexplored relationship between vacant house distribution and neighbourhood characteristics in Toda City, a satellite city of the Tokyo metropolis located in Saitama Prefecture. We selected 10 community features, including living convenience, housing supply, and policy support, to explore their influence on vacancy rates. Using a comprehensive dataset primarily derived from the PLATEAU data, we employed a two-step
Spatial inequality in cities has accelerated with globalization and neoliberalism (Kidokoro et al., 2022, 2023; Sho et al., 2024). Housing inequality is one of the most critical issues driven by the neoliberalism-oriented housing market throughout the world in the context of spatial inequality. In recent years, previous welfare-oriented housing policies have been diminishing, and economic contexts have been increasingly emphasized in most Asian societies. Under this context, housing speculation
ABSTRACT Urban renewal (UR) and transit‐oriented development (TOD) are critical issues for improving the built environments and socioeconomic conditions of developed cities. This research focuses on UR in Taipei City, Taiwan, and discusses whether these UR projects are “transit‐oriented.” This research examines all 163 UR projects completed in Taipei City as of the end of 2020 to investigate the accessibility of UR to public transportation, including mass rapid transit (MRT), city buses, and You
Sustainable urban parks (SUPs) are crucial for achieving sustainable urban communities. This research aimed to identify SUP design indicators through a literature review and semi-structured interviews with 31 experts. 17 key indicators were identified, encompassing the use of native plants, increasing vegetation, providing waste separation bins, involving the public in planning, considering local conditions, and incorporating local patterns. Less significant indicators included tree trunk protec
Compared to traditional communities, the residential environment in historic districts (HDs) is generally poor. Tourism development within HDs has affected these environments. As tailored assessment indicators are absent in HDs, this study introduces the historic district residential environment assessment indicator (HD-REAI) – a framework designed for the urban setting of HDs. The HD-REAI integrates Maslow’s theory and addresses the challenges and attributes of HDs. HD-REAI focuses on factors l
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