Research of Location Agglomeration of the Software IT Sector and the Change of Infra-Urban Structure in Japanese Metropolitan Areas

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 16520487
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Human geography
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: YAMASAKI Takeshi Kobe University, Faculty of Human Development, Professor, 発達科学部, 教授 (20158132)
• Project Period (FY): 2004 – 2005
• Keywords: Software IT Sector / Location Changes / Urban Regional Structure

Research Abstract

The purpose of this research is to clarify the location agglomeration of the software IT sector, and the changes of the intra-urban structure. Its result summarized as follows.
1.Software IT sector is concentrated in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, Fukuoka, Hokkaido prefecture where are contained the metropolitan areas in Japan. Especially, the agglomeration of the City Tokyo is notable.
2.One of the typical location trends at the intre-urban level is the high degree of location agglomeration near the railway terminal station in C.B.D. and sub-center.
3.Location factors of the software IT sector are attached great importance of rent level, accessibility to the customers etc. Such location factors are the same as the general office location.
4.In the location changes the short distance movement is main trend. This trend is also the same as the general office location.
5.Software IT sectors concentrate in the C.B.D., its peripheral area, sub-center, and form the functional district of that sector. In future, with the progress of in formalization, the central places with the agglomeration of software IT sectors will bring about the new central place hierarchy in the metropolitan areas in Japan. Namely, it may well be that software IT sectors will change the intra-urban regional structure.