Search

Tourism behaviour in cultural heritage gardens presents opportunities and challenges for sustainable management. Understanding visitor perceptions and assessments of visual resources in cultural heritage gardens are of great interest to heritage site managers. Using a case study of the Kairakuen Garden in Japan, we collected images (N = 430) and geographic data of tourist photos in the heritage garden through visitor-employed photography technology to analyse what hotspots attract tourists to take photos. We also evaluated the visual attributes of photo hotspots using a questionnaire. The results reveal that the most common elements in tourist images were plant landscapes and human-made structures and that the 12 photo hotspots of the Kairakuen Garden were placed along the officially recommended tour routes, indicating that tourists identify the officially approved scenery. Furthermore, there are four main hotspot areas; they received significant different visual attributes assessments in 'scenic beauty', 'complexity', 'mystery', and 'diversity'. Based on these findings, it is possible to understand tourists' visual perceptions and preferences and to make recommendations for the management of the Kairakuen Garden and other cultural heritage gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, dark tourism was developed in the Tohoku Region of Japan. Notably, two government-built tsunami memorial parks in Ishinomaki and Rikuzentakata have obtained attention for their profound disaster narratives, iconic disaster sites, and expansive layouts. This study is the first to compare the projected destination image presented by destination management organizations with the perceived destination image held by visitors in these parks, and in dark tourism. Using online text data from both supply and demand sides of dark tourism and text mining analyses such as word frequency analysis, co-occurrence network analysis, and affection tendency examination, we revealed similarities and disparities between these two perspectives. Furthermore, this study concluded dimensions specific to dark tourism sites within the cognitive and affective destination image. Based on the findings, the study provides advice for destination managers to improve these sites, including developing non-dark tourism products and improving infrastructures. Additionally, it proposes placing greater emphasis on themes of revitalization and future development, while fostering visitor engagement in local non-profit and citizen activities to strengthen connections with residents. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of text mining in comparing projected and perceived destination images in the context of dark tourism sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese immigration to the U.S. began in the late 1800s. Japanese immigrants and later their children were mostly engaged in agriculture; however, some owned nurseries and gardening or landscaping businesses. Following the outbreak of World War II, most Japanese and Japanese Americans were sent to one of ten incarceration camps, one of which was Amache, in the High Plains of Colorado. Inmates there planted trees and created hundreds of gardens to improve its stark institutional landscape. These gardens were located in the front of individual barracks and other public spaces. They formed the most significant landscape element within the camp and helped Japanese inmates retain their identities during wartime. This study focuses on two Japanese-style gardens created in the public spaces of barracks Blocks 6H and 12F in the Amache incarceration camp. Framed by archival research on professional gardener associations and the Japanese language section of the camp newspaper, it explores the significance of these Japanese-style gardens, revealing the value and role the gardens played among Japanese detainees. It also reveals the long-term impact of these gardens as a material legacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As countries develop, the challenge of providing access to the outdoors and nature increases. Consequently, recent environmental justice research has focused on measuring children's access to parks. The results of these analyses better reflect differences in accessibility, but there are discrepancies between different accessibility models. This study aims to explore child-friendly accessibility measures and proposes a supply–demand-improved two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method for estimating urban park accessibility based on children's needs. The application of this improved 2SFCA method in Changsha City successfully identified areas with unequal park accessibility, offering valuable insights for urban planners, that can be used to promote equitable access to green spaces for all residents, especially children. The results demonstrate that park accessibility in Changsha City exhibits significant differences across various areas, with the lowest accessibility in the western part of Furong District, the northwestern part of Yuhua District, and the southern part of Tianxin District; while the highest accessibility is found in Yuelu District. The limited green space in the central business district of Changsha City, coupled with high population density, indicates a tension between green space planning and population density in the city's central area. The study proposes that the primary challenge in current green space planning in Changsha is the rational allocation of green spaces to meet the needs of high-density populations within limited urban space. It provides a comprehensive and realistic perspective for understanding the accessibility and availability of green spaces for children, which can help urban planners develop effective policies to support children's outdoor mobility, while considering equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memorial facilities are one of the crucial places where citizens conduct activities facilitating disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, previous studies have primarily focused on the post-construction phase of official memorial facilities, neglecting the citizen activities collaborating with the official memorial construction process before and during the construction process. This research gap is important considering the urgency of disaster-affected regions to recover from spatial, social, and psychological voids while working towards the goal of DRR, including the efforts of citizens in the official efforts. This study addresses this gap by examining the case of the official memorial park in Ishinomaki, Tohoku region, following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Here, local citizens actively participated in activities before, during, and after park construction, engaging with official efforts. Data were gathered from various online sources to capture activity, space, and management information. Employing a mixed methods research approach, we conducted both quantitative analysis, counting labels of structural coding, and qualitative description of original texts. Our findings reveal that fostering mutual respect built on communication and collaborative tree-planting activities were crucial for maintaining the pre-existing citizen activities and collaborative construction during the official construction period. Additionally, the implementation of a collaborative regulation system was vital for integrating and managing spontaneous citizen activities to achieve the park's intended objectives post-opening. In conclusion, we highlighted a framework elucidating the mechanisms through which these processes contribute to DRR across key phases of disaster risk management: preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery (PPRR). These insights are important in guiding efforts to engage citizens in DRR initiatives through recovery and reconstruction facilitated by memorial facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, scenic and historic areas are protected areas which are highly integrated with natural and cultural resources. The study analyzed policies based on the theory of policy instruments using content analyses. The results demonstrated that China's scenic and historic areas have experienced four phases of development: primary development (1980–1994), exploration and growth (1995-–2006), deepening and maturity (2007–2018), and integration and optimization (2019–2023). Policy intensity is trending upwards, and contemporary policy authority and restraints are insufficient. The policy instruments showed an imbalance, and are mainly environmentally-type, with only a few supply- and demand-type. Policy topics mainly include management and planning protection. The Chinese government has played a leading role, taking many restraining measures to quickly protect scenic resources. Stronger and more effective policies with more specific content will favor the protection of scenic and historic areas. In the future, financial input, international exchanges, and outsourcing services should be increased to promote the vital development of scenic and historic areas. Legislation, establishment, social participation, operation, and ticket systems must be comprehensive. Overall, the study provides theoretical support for further reforms of China's scenic and historic areas and lessons for improving the conservation quality of the world's protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green cultural heritage is an important form of natural space in cities. Only a few studies have conducted restorative studies in a historical environment as most have focused on natural environments. Moreover, few studies on cultural ecosystem services (CESs) have addressed cultural heritage. Based on an onsite questionnaire distributed to green cultural heritage users (N = 64) in Hamarikyu Garden, this paper explores the value of CESs in a green cultural heritage site and the relationship between cultural ecosystem values and perceived attention restoration/stress reduction. A multiple linear regression analysis and simple linear regression analyses were used to examine the data. The results showed that (1) the cultural ecosystem values of the green cultural heritage site were all rated highly except for the sense of place; (2) spending time in green cultural heritage provided respondents significant perceived attention restoration and stress reduction; (3) aesthetics and cultural heritage significantly affected perceived stress reduction, while attention restoration showed a significant positive correlation with aesthetic value and sense of place; and (4) the more visitors perceived the value of CESs, the more significant the perceived stress reduction and attention recovery were. This study indicates that CESs represent a useful tool for measuring the environmental characteristics of green cultural heritage sites and can predict perceived psychological recovery in green cultural heritage sites. Our findings enhance our knowledge about restorative environmental attributes through objective descriptions of potential health-promoting qualities and can be utilized as inspiration for designing restorative environments in green cultural heritage sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Japanese City Planning Act aims to control urban sprawl and promote compact urban development. Despite Japan's aging population, urban sprawl remains a concern in shrinking sprawl situations. This impacts ecosystem services owing to the loss of natural areas. Ecological quality is regarded as a basic parameter for preventing urban sprawl. This study examined urban sprawl, ecological quality, and their relationship in Chiba Prefecture within the spatial context of the metropolitan region. Utilizing Shannon entropy and landscape metrics for urban sprawling studies, the analysis revealed a gradual shift towards compact development at the center, while the urban periphery was unevenly distributed. The remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), supported by remote sensing, assesses ecological quality. Despite some limitations, the average RSEI indicated moderate quality, offering a suitable human environment. Pearson's calculations were used to determine the inverse correlation between urban sprawl and ecological quality. Chiba's slight increase in sprawl was attributed to the transition from non-compact to eco-city development. The proposed plans were formulated based on similar urban sprawl and RSEI patterns in other cities for further sustainable compact development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of multisensory-based public subjective perception into planning, management, and policymaking is of great significance for the sustainable development and protection of UGBS. Online reviews are a suitable data source for this issue, which includes information about public sentiment, perception of the physical environment, and sensory description. This study adopts the deep learning method to obtain effective information from online reviews and found that in 105 major sites of Tokyo (23 districts), the public overall perception level is not balanced. Rich multi-sense will promote the perception level, especially hearing and somatosensory senses that have a higher positive prediction effect than vision, and overall perception can start improving by optimizing these two senses. Even if only one adverse sense exists, it will seriously affect the perception level, such as bad smell and noise. Optimizing the physical environment by adding natural elements for different senses is conducive to overall perception. Sensory maps can help to quickly find areas that require improvement. This study provides a new method for rapid multisensory analysis and complementary public participation for specific situations, which helps to increase the well-being of UGBS and give play to its multi-functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have indicated that proximity to nature positively affects human well-being. Landscape planning and related techniques have been widely implemented to achieve balance between natural environments and human society, thereby contributing to human well-being. This study examines peer-reviewed empirical research using scientometric analysis and systematic review to clarify how landscape planning enhances human well-being. On analysing 439 documents, we found a significant increase in publications by multidisciplinary teams in this research area from 2016 to date. There was an uneven global distribution of publications, with most institutions cooperating within the same continent. These findings suggest the potential for greater international collaboration in the future. We identified three main research topics in this field, traced their dynamic development, and highlighted intangible values requiring attention. Moreover, we proposed a loop of 'naturalness-landscape structures-landscape services-human well-being' which includes four intermediary steps to illustrate how landscape planning can improve human well-being. This loop clarifies the pathway between landscape planning approaches and human well-being, thus providing a foundation for future research. Overall, this research highlights the conceptual pathways of landscape planning in promoting human well-being and calls for further investigation to fully understand this complex relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural areas are facing increasing challenges including declining populations, advanced aging, and a lack of successors. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of rural areas among Chinese and Japanese university students living in urban areas and analyze the determinants influencing their rural attachment and willingness to reside there. A total of 259 students (126 Japanese students in Chiba and 133 Chinese students in Zhengzhou) were surveyed using the place attachment scale, and asked to describe their past experiences in rural areas. Semantic analysis was employed to further explore issues related to their previous rural visit experiences. The results revealed that students' place of birth, visiting experience, satisfaction with rural areas, interaction with local people, and convenience of accessing rural areas all influenced their attachment and willingness to move to rural areas. Chinese students expressed greater concerns regarding hygiene issues, while Japanese students were more concerned about safety. This study offers some recommendations: promoting educational resources in rural areas and addressing hygiene issues, such as unclean restrooms, in China. In Japan, the focus should be on continued promotion of rural tourism, providing more education on safe driving and environmental safety for university students, and enhancing more access to rural areas through student transportation discounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]