都市街路における歩行空間整備に関する基礎的研究

As human needs become diverse and complex, a creation of amenity-rich urban space is thought to bear more significance than ever expecially when relaxed life style and pleasant urban life are desired. Under that setting, street space of urban environment is considered to be a most important element to create amenity-rich urban space, which accompanies improvement of safety, landscape, and comfortability of the space concerned. Studies on amenity of city streets dated from 1970's and started drawing increasing attention in 1980's. Few studies, however, examined street space, noting various factors which interrelatedly create amenity of the city. Consequently, they seem to lack overall approaches. Further, few studies were yet to provide information helpful for space consolidation. This thesis aimed to examine issues and solutions related to research, planning, and design of amenity-rich pedestrian space. Conducting both behavioral analysis approach of pedestrian traffic and landscape analysis approach of streetscape, the thesis tried to explore the issues from total perspectives. Especially, in terms of landscape analysis approach which chiefly involved visual information, landscape simulation method was adopted, using image processing system. By means of that method, it became possible to handle various factors and study problems pertinent to the formation of streetscape. Major findings of this thesis are as follows. Using behavioral analysis approach which focused on pedestrian traffic, the thesis clarified the following points. (1) A pedestrian strip contains remnant space which tends to widen in proportion to the entire width of the pedestrian strip: approximately 1.0m in 3.5m pedestrian strip, 2.0m in 6.0m strip. Effective use of remnant space was discussed in regard to overall promotion of street greenery. (2) Street planting reduces evading behavior of pedestrians away from automobiles and improves effective use of pedestrian strip by 15%, and creates safer and more comfortable environment. They altogether contribute to improve buffer effect. The foregoing condition is observed more frequently in combined planting formation consisting of trees, shrubs, and groundcovers than in single planting formation of either trees or shrubs only. (3) Trees provide summer shade for pedestrian space and improve space use by 10%, resulting in more comfortable street environment. That is to say, they altogether contribute to improve shade-of-tree effect. Using landscape analysis approach which focused on streetscape, the thesis clarified the following points. (4) Of those which comprise pedestrian space in public space, street planting, pedestrian traffic, and road-side space are three key elements that work to shape the streetscape. Interrelating those three, the thesis examined effectivity of landscape simulation method. (5) One of the landscape effects of street planting is that its visual information promotes psychological comfortability. In order to achieve landscape effects, combined planting formation works effectively. In other words, trees play an important role due to their shape, canopy, and planting location. Pedestrian space increases comfortability and receives higher evaluation when the ratio of greenery in the field of vision is 30% or over. (6) Greenery of road-side space helps to create pleasant landscape. Facade and hedges of adjacent buildings are also part of road-side space, and they are highly important to promote landscape effects. All those factors revealed the importance of road-side planting, design control/guide of both adjacent buildings and other structures. Greenery should be placed on pedestrian strip, favorably below 1.5m eye level. Using both behavioral analysis approach and landscape analysis approach, the thesis addressed the following point. (7) As behavioral analysis clarified buffer effect and shade-of-tree effect of street planting, and landscape analysis clarified landscape effect on people, it is very important to combine both approaches in order to study street space from total perspectives. It is believed that the foregoing results have been able to indicate directions for future planning and design of urban streets as well as help establish study method for consolidation of amenity-rich pedestrian space

A Comparative Study of Townscape Administration in the Central Business Districts of Osaka and Melbourne

This study aims to grasp the background of townscape policy administered in the Cites of Osaka and Melbourne with a view to creating a vision for the future outlook of these cities. Through detailed analysis and comparison of the Townscape Design Regulations and Guidance (TDRG) of Osaka and Melbourne, this study endeavors to highlight the ideal future direction of townscape administration in their Central Business Districts (CBDs). The research findings concluded that; it is necessary to conduct townscape administration throughout the TDRG's target area, as is the case in Melbourne, with special consideration of the overall outlook of the area, and it is essential to set up, not only building design regulations for each building and along-the-street regulations for creating harmonized street landscape, but also comprehensive townscape regulations based on the characteristics that blocks and districts possess to differentiate their townscape

Study on the Changing of the Open Space Structure in the City of Osaka

This study is intended to identify the ideal role of open space planning in the establishment of an urban open space network by elucidating the relationship between the historical development of the urban structure of the city of Osaka and the historical development of its open space structure from the late 19th century to the present day. The study revealed the importance for the Osaka metropolis of perfecting a new open space structure using zoning controlled open spaces such as scenic zones and linear open spaces such as roads and rivers (in addition to other network elements such as farmland and canals) as its skeletal structure, existing urban parks as focal points, and other open spaces such as privately owned land as supplemental elements

Research into Types of Deforestation in the Suburbs

In this research, the factors that are thought to have a large effect on the structure of forests are examined comprehensively from a social factor and a natural factor. The objective is to clarify the ways in which forested land retreats from the periphery of a large city. It was found that deforestation can be divided into a "partial" type and a "complete" type, and that each type has its own mechanism. The next step will be consider how to conserve the different types of deforestation

Research on the Utilizing Design Vocabulary in the Definition of Pedestrian Way

In this research, initial research was carried out through means of a survey of available reference material to gather design vocabulary, the results of which were then collated, in order to give a general overall picture. Then, through a design survey of pedestrian ways, an initial examination was made, using the design vocabulary, of design techniques and the elements used in the construction of these areas. An attempt was then made to systematize design techniques used in the creation of pedestrian ways. As a result, a general idea of the terms involved was obtained and design vocabulary was able to be arranged in a systematic format

Metabolic syndrome correlates intracoronary stenosis detected by multislice computed tomography in male subjects with sleep-disordered breathing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), especially obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has frequent complications include hypertension, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance based on abdominal obesity or excess visceral fat (called Syndrome Z). OSA is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The clinical characteristics of Japanese OSA subjects with OSA remain unclear. The present study investigated prevalence and predictive factors of intracoronary stenosis detected by multislice computed tomography (MSCT) in Japanese male subjects with SDB/OSA.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The study (O-VFStudy) subjects were 39 Japanese men with SDB/OSA who underwent all-night cardiorespiratory monitoring with fully attended polysomnography, and moreover both fat computed tomography (CT) scan and 64-row MSCT coronary angiography. The prevalence of coronary stenosis in this selected population with SDB/OSA was 15%. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant relationship between age-adjusted CAD and metabolic syndrome (<it>p </it>< 0.05), but not serum adiponectin levels and nocturnal fall in adiponectin. Subjects with the metabolic syndrome had significantly higher prevalence of CAD (31.3 versus 4.3%, <it>p </it>= 0.033), and lower levels of serum adiponectin (4.5 ± 0.6 versus 6.4 ± 0.6 μg/mL, <it>p </it>= 0.014), compared with groups without the metabolic syndrome.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study describes that the prevalence of greater than 50% intracoronary stenotic lesions detected by MSCT was 15% and the metabolic syndrome was correlated with intracoronary stenosis detected by MSCT in Japanese SDB/OSA subjects.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>UMIN 000002997</p> <p><url>https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr.cgi?function=brows&action=brows&type=summary&recptno=R000003633&language=E</url>.</p