Research for residential area planning focusing on a series of land use changes associated with the formation and shrinking process of coal mining city

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K20466
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0304:Architecture, building engineering, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Science
• Principal Investigator: Adachi Sota 東京理科大学, 工学部建築学科, 助教 (90966839)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 炭鉱住宅 / 山口県宇部市 / 宇部炭田 / 社宅街 / 都市形成

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to clarify the formation and transformation process of mining residential areas in the Ube coalfield in relation to geological structures and social conditions. As a result, we identified the following trends in land acquisition and abandonment by mining rights holders in these areas.
Since modernization, individual land acquisition initially progressed across the entire area. Eventually, due to geological structures, the focus of land acquisition shifted to the coastal area, while corporate land acquisition advanced in the western part. Subsequently, with the establishment of Ube Industries during the wartime period, A hierarchy of land ownership was formed from the coast towards the north: Ube Industries, other companies and individuals. However, with the decline of the coal mining industry after the war, the focus of land ownership returned to the coastal area, ultimately resulting in a situation where only partial land ownership by Ube Industries persisted.

Free Research Field

建築計画

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

人口減少時代における住宅地計画を模索する上で、戦後日本でいち早く急激な人口減少を経験した産炭地域に学ぶ点は多いと考える。しかし、産炭地域の縮退プロセスを適格に捉えるためにはその特殊な形成過程をも把握する必要がある。
本研究課題は、シンプルな地質構造を持つ宇部炭田をモデルケースに、炭鉱住宅地の形成・変容過程について鉱業権者の土地取得・放棄動向に着目して分析を行った。これにより得られた研究成果は、産炭地域の形成・変容過程に関する理解を深めるものであり、そのために、今後の縮退期における住宅地計画構築にも寄与するものであると考える。