Regeneration of Housing Estates by the Community-Based Integrated Care Systems

Abstract

A great number of housing estates created in the suburbs of urban cities in the 1960s are aging rapidly in recent years. This accelerating obsolescence is attributable to the fact that many monotonous houses without diversity or vitality in room arrangements were supplied at sales prices and rent values that did not vary considerably. Therefore, their residents have remained homogeneous with respect to life stage, age distribution, and social position. In many housing estates in the suburbs, 30 years after their move-in, the ratio of elderly people increased markedly together with the decline of young people caused by employment and marriage. At the beginning of the development, housing estates in the suburbs expected residents of younger generations such as child nurturing generations. Many facilities in the estate are for kindergarten children’s playgrounds, educational facilities such as elementary schools, and commercial facilities for the purchase of food and daily necessaries. Hospitals are arranged by design, although it is characteristic that medical facilities and nursing care facilities for elderly people are few. Many middle-rise old apartments are not equipped with elevators. In fact, many steep sloping roads and steps cause hindrance today for the daily living of elderly people. Focusing on housing renewal projects incorporating welfare viewpoints, the aim of this study is to identify the meaning and tasks of regeneration of housing estates for activation of the community through integrated streamlining of welfare service facilities including elderly people welfare facilities. The study area is Nagayama estate in Tama new town and Kashiwa Toyoshikidai, which introduced the community-based integrated care system by fulfilling welfare services for elderly people to allow for sustainable living by elderly people. Findings of future residential estates are discussed based on these cases.

This chapter is a translated version of Yui et al. (2018).