Role of Landscape Architectural Space in Urban Culture;Perception of Mountains among Residents in Kohoku New Town in Japan

Mountains have been playing an important role in the Japanese culture. It is important from landscape planning perspectives to maintain mountains in the proximity of cities. In this thesis, the geographical perception of residents in Kohoku New Town has been studied. Geographical changes before and after the Kohoku New Town development were clarified first. Following these clarifications, interviews with residents who moved into the area before and after the development were conducted. In this investigation, the interviewees were asked about mountains, valleys, hills, and slopes; and the areas that they recognize on the map were then specified. From these results, the mountain area which residents recognize and the actual geographical features were compared. The geographical characteristics of the mountains that the residents recognize were revealed, and the perception of mountains was defined. Not only did geographical features and vegetation affect the perception of mountains, but also residents' personal experiences were important. As a result, new information for future geographical landscape planning has been obtained.