Kaga Matsugaoka housing complexKaga Matsugaoka housing complex

The Kaga Matsugaoka housing complex was established in 1976 with 1,460 single-family dwellings. It provided a chance to live surrounded by beautiful and elegant traditional crafts, a hot spring that attracted famous visitors, and magnificent natural scenery. People who yearned for such a way of life came to make their home in the neighborhood.

Despite being located only about 10 minutes’ walk from Kagaonsen Station, aging demographics and a low birthrate have been a factor in the resident population falling, from around 3,600 people in 2000 to 3,400 in 2022.

What challenges does the neighborhood face if it is to have a brighter future, and what needs to be done going forward? These questions are discussed at open conferences held every two months with members of the neighborhood association that administers the area. With involvement by diverse partners, extending beyond the usual local government and corporate participants, action is now starting to be taken on the many ideas that come out of these meetings.

Along with the issue of vacant homes, one shared by neighborhoods throughout Japan as the population ages, a variety of concerns have arisen that relate to the local infrastructure needed for a comfortable life. These include the effort needed to tidy up the large quantities of leaves that fall from the trees lining neighborhood streets, the lack of security lighting, and the dense vegetation around the flood-control pond. The neighborhood is taking its first steps toward revitalization with a common goal of achieving “circulation and continuity” whereby they make use of the housing complex’s resources and in turn pass them on to become assets for their children.

Open conference of town planning
(held at the Matsugaoka community hall)

The conferences are held every two months.
Attendance is about 110 people, made up of members of the neighborhood association and Daiwa House employees.

The conference attracts people of all ages, from junior high school students through to parents with young families and the elderly,
each contributing ideas about the town’s future from their own perspective.

A plan is underway that has been jointly developed with local residents to create a “walkable neighborhood”, using walking as a starting point for addressing a variety of concerns such as “Although I think I know my neighbors, it feels like there are a lot of people I don’t know.” and “Getting around by car is difficult now that I have had to hand back by driving license.” By making use of empty lots for parks and other open spaces and installing rest stops for pedestrians, this work is creating a sustainable neighborhood where everyone can mingle with everyone else.

A project for “taking Matsugaoka into the future” that is made up of residents of many different ages is planned to get underway in April 2023. Daiwa House Industry is looking at purchasing empty lots and vacant homes at the housing complex for uses such as providing places where residents can meet. The goal is to work with the local people to create a community where existing residents can remain and new residents be enticed to move in.