Research & reports
Peer-reviewed research and reports on community urban agriculture, food education, composting, welfare and more.
Theme
Critical findings
37 results(1 / 2)
A study on the utilization characteristics of agricultural activity spaces developed in urban parks
2026Guolin XU, Shigeto YANAI · Japanese Journal of Landscape Architecture · Japan (Yokohama City)
This study investigated the utilization characteristics of agricultural activity spaces in urban parks, focusing on parks with allotment gardens in Yokohama City, Japan. Using the line transect method for behavioral observation, the study identified user characteristics and types of use. The results indicated that establishing agricultural activity spaces within urban parks promotes park use among older adults, may contribute to functional specialization by providing targeted health promotion and recreational functions for the elderly, and increases visitors’ length of stay.
CommunityElderlyHealth都市と地域をつなぐ「BRANZ オーナーズファーム」開始
2025東急不動産株式会社, 株式会社マイファーム · 東急不動産 プレスリリース資料 · Japan
Tokyu Fudosan launches an agriculture experience project for Branz owners in Higashimatsuyama using solar-sharing farmland, an official developer-led rental-garden initiative linking resident food education, exchange, and regional revitalization.
CommunityEconomicsHealthContribution of natural capital to quality of life of urban-to-rural migrants in Japan
2025Takahashi Y., Yoshida T., Johnson B.A., Shigeto S., Yamagata Y. · Sustainability Science (Springer) · Japan
Uses structural equation modeling on national survey and geospatial data to demonstrate the relationship between urban-to-rural migrants' quality of life and natural capital (farmland, greenspace), providing evidence for the effectiveness of rural in-migration policy.
HealthPolicyThe Application of Leisure Constraints to Community Garden Activities Having Different Themes in Japan
2025Ryotaro HAYASHI, Yasushi Kyutoku, Atsuya SHIMAZAKI, Yoshiki HARADA · Transactions of Japan Society of Kansei Engineering · Japan
This study investigated the applicability of the leisure constraint model to community garden programs in Japan, using an online questionnaire (n=732) on participation constraints across four activity scenarios. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the model can be applied to Japanese community garden practices. However, exploratory factor analyses revealed many extracted factors had vague or inconsistent question combinations, suggesting a need for future research to construct a community garden-specific leisure constraint model.
CommunityHealthFood educationBiodiversityCommunity garden management for resilient cities: A case study in suburban Tokyo during the COVID-19 pandemic
2024Shimpo N. · Landscape and Urban Planning, 251:105148 · Japan
Analyses how a suburban-Tokyo community garden (Seseragi Garden, Hino City) was managed for resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gardeners proactively set rules through discussion and sustained activity, helping maintain food security, physical and mental health, ikigai and social networks, thereby contributing to community resilience.
CommunityHealthWelfarePolicy農福連携等推進ビジョン（2024改訂版）
2024· 農福連携等推進会議（内閣官房） · Japan
Government vision (2019, revised 2024) promoting noufuku—agriculture-welfare collaboration enabling people with disabilities to participate in society through farming—as national policy, covering awareness, training, facility support, and market expansion via certification.
WelfarePolicyHealthCommunityEconomics令和5年度スマートシティ実装化支援事業 報告書（柏の葉スマートシティコンソーシアム）
2024柏の葉スマートシティコンソーシアム, 国土交通省 都市局 · 国土交通省 都市局（スマートシティ実装化支援事業 報告書） · Japan
An MLIT support-program report documenting the implementation of Kashiwanoha Smart City, advanced by Mitsui Fudosan as co-developer through public-private-academia collaboration (UDCK). It covers the implementation and evaluation of resident-participatory initiatives across health, community and data use.
CommunityHealthPolicy一般社団法人まちにわ ひばりが丘 2023年度 活動報告書
2024一般社団法人まちにわ ひばりが丘 · まちにわ ひばりが丘 公式活動報告書 · Japan
Annual report of the area-management organization after UR Hibarigaoka Danchi regeneration, documenting resident-led activities such as the shared garden and Niwa Marche at Hibari Terrace 118 and strengthened collaboration with developer subdivisions including Nomura, Daiwa, and Sumitomo.
CommunityPolicyHealth「有明ガーデン みんなの菜園プロジェクト」開始のお知らせ
2024住友不動産商業マネジメント株式会社, 武蔵野大学工学部サステナビリティ学科 · 武蔵野大学 / 住友不動産 共同プレスリリース · Japan
At Sumitomo Fudosan's Ariake Garden commercial facility, a resident-participatory container garden is launched jointly with Musashino University as a social experiment including urban permaculture workshops and wellbeing evaluation.
CommunityHealthBiodiversityTesting an Urban Green Space Impression Evaluation Scale for Urban Rooftop Gardens
2024Hayato IIDA, Yasushi Kyutoku, Wakana KUDO, Yoshiki HARADA · Transactions of Japan Society of Kansei Engineering · Japan (Tokyo)
This study investigated whether the UGS (Urban Green Space Scale), an impression evaluation scale for Tokyo's urban green spaces, could assess impressions of two urban rooftop gardens with flat versus stepped spatial configurations. Based on an online questionnaire (N=670), confirmatory factor analyses indicated a poor or unacceptable fit of urban rooftop gardens to the UGS. Exploratory factor analyses yielded different factor structures, suggesting that new scales are required for evaluating impressions of urban rooftop gardens.
Methodological critiqueHealthCommunityUrban agriculture in walkable neighborhoods bore fruit for health and food system resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
2023Iida A., Yamazaki T., Hino K., Yokohari M. · npj Urban Sustainability 3:4 · Japan
Focusing on Tokyo, the study quantitatively verified how access to local food through urban agriculture relates to residents' subjective well-being, physical activity, and food-security concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. It showed that walkable-distance urban agriculture supported community health and food-system resilience.
HealthCommunityPolicyグリーンインフラ推進戦略2023
2023国土交通省 · 国土交通省（令和5年9月策定） · Japan
The core strategy of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism aiming to mainstream and 'build in' green infrastructure across all sectors with the public and private sectors working in tandem. It sets out seven perspectives—collaboration, community, technology, evaluation, finance, global and digital—and positions a broad range of spaces, including urban farmland and everyday greenery, as multifunctional green social infrastructure for stormwater management, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, health and community.
PolicyBiodiversityCommunityHealth川崎の農業の実態
2023川崎市 経済労働局 都市農業振興センター · 川崎市 調査報告書 · Japan
Kawasaki status report on farmland area, producers, productive greenbelts, tourism farms, citizen farms and regional exchange farms, quantifying small-scale urban production and publicly supported experience farms.
PolicyEconomicsCommunityHealthLongitudinal analysis of home food production and food sharing behavior in Japan: multiple benefits of local food systems and the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
2023Kamiyama C., Hori K., Matsui T., Pretty J., Saito O. · Sustainability Science (Springer) · Japan
Using national surveys from 2015 and 2021, shows that more agricultural areas have higher home food production and neighborly sharing, and that interest in home production rose in urban areas after COVID-19—longitudinally demonstrating the multiple benefits of local food systems.
CommunityHealthRevisiting the KIT Community Garden Project
2023Bean Casey · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan
This paper discusses the current status of the KIT Community Garden project, an honors project at Kanazawa Institute of Technology that began in 2016. The project aims to improve members' English language skills, gardening knowledge, environmental awareness, and establish a deeper connection to the community. The paper covers the garden's state, design principles, recent changes, feedback from current members, and outstanding challenges.
CommunityFood educationHealth公・民・学の連携によるまちづくり －柏の葉スマートシティ－（三牧浩也・UDCK副センター長）
2022三牧 浩也（柏の葉アーバンデザインセンター 副センター長） · 国土交通省 スマートシティ官民連携プラットフォーム 講演資料 · Japan
A presentation by the deputy director of Urban Design Center Kashiwanoha (UDCK) explaining the public-private-academia town-building of Kashiwanoha Smart City, in which Mitsui Fudosan participates. It outlines the collaboration framework among citizens, companies and universities and the resident-participatory approach centered on health and community.
CommunityPolicyHealth屋上農園の多面的機能に対する都市住民の意識と行動 ─東京都を中心として─
2022李 靖儀, 木南 莉莉, 古澤 慎一, 木南 章 · 地域学研究 52巻2号 pp.231-254 · Japan
A Tokyo-centered survey on involvement and evaluation of rooftop farms finds high satisfaction among participants but low uptake, using SEM to analyze institutional and design policy needs for spreading private-development rooftop farms such as Mori Building's Roppongi Hills.
CommunityHealthPolicy令和4年度第14回ヨコハマｅアンケート 市民農園に関するアンケート
2022横浜市 環境創造局農政推進課 · 横浜市 市民調査報告 · Japan
Results of Yokohama's e-survey on citizen farms, capturing user motivations, satisfaction and challenges as baseline data for municipal policy improvements including the citizen-farm map and stronger outreach.
CommunityHealthFood educationPolicy幼児は雪が積もった園庭のどこで活発に遊ぶのか？
2022厚 板谷, 大輔 野上, 公文 佐藤 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan (Asahikawa)
This study, involving 20 preschool children from one kindergarten in Asahikawa city, Japan, examined how diversifying snow surfaces in a school garden affected physical activity intensity during winter outdoor play. Five trials were conducted in December and January-February. Activity intensity in snowy mountains was more prominent in the December control trial (less snow) than in the January-February experimental trials, but various play promotions increased activity in rough snow.
Food educationHealthHow Does Urban Farming Benefit Participants' Health? A Case Study of Allotments and Experience Farms in Tokyo
2021Harada K., Hino K., Iida A., Yamazaki T., Usui H., Asami Y., Yokohari M. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), 18(2):542 · Japan
A cross-sectional study comparing 783 urban-farming participants with 1,254 non-participants in Tokyo. Participants in both allotment and experience-farm programs reported significantly better self-rated and mental health, highlighting the health value of regular social interaction in urban farming.
WelfareHealthCommunity団地内のコミュニティスペースが地域の繋がりに与える影響に関する研究
2021千葉 舞優, 西村 亮彦 · 景観・デザイン研究講演集 No.17 · Japan
Using Odakyu's regenerated Hoshinotani Danchi as a case study, this research examines the planning and operation of community spaces including the Hatamusubi rental farm, Kissaten Laundry café, and childcare support facilities, showing how movement between facilities generates small-scale exchange including the surrounding area.
CommunityPolicyHealthPotential of a Small Indoor Plant on the Desk for Reducing Office Workers' Stress
2020Toyoda M., Yokota Y., Barnes M., Kaneko M. · HortTechnology · Japan
Real-office study in Japan showing that intentional contact with a small desk plant reduces office workers' psychological and physiological stress, supporting planting and gardening interventions in the workplace.
HealthWelfare郊外部住宅地の再生に向けて―上郷ネオポリスにおける取組―
2020小杉 理理子 · 日本不動産学会誌 34巻2号 p.108 · Japan
Introduces the Kamigo Neopolis machizukuri agreement between Yokohama City and Daiwa House Industry, reporting collaboration among residents, government, and the developer to regenerate a suburban detached-housing district through gathering spaces and community building.
CommunityPolicyHealthExercise and Horticultural Programs for Older Adults with Depressive Symptoms and Memory Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial
2020· Journal of Clinical Medicine · Japan
An RCT assigned 89 older adults with depressive symptoms and mild memory decline to exercise, horticultural, or control groups; the horticultural program comprised 20 weekly 90-minute sessions of field cultivation, growing, and harvesting.
ElderlyHealthRelationship between Community or Home Gardening and Health of the Elderly: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey in Japan
2019Machida D. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(8):1389 · Japan
A web-based cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling older adults in Japan examined links between community or home gardening and health-related indicators. Gardening with others was significantly associated with exercise habits, physical activity, vegetable intake and neighborly connections, and with higher subjective happiness and sense of purpose, supporting gardens as a means to counter isolation among the elderly.
HealthWelfareCommunityFood education