| In Japan、 the investment capacity of the national and local governments is decreasing due to depopulation and the emergence of an aging society with fewer children、 making quantitative expansion of public green spaces difficult. In recent years、 the Panel on Infrastructure Development has also discussed utilization of existing stock、 including precious remaining green spaces、 utilization of historic and cultural resources and participation of diverse entities、 as future tasks concerning the parks and green spaces policy.[*]Meanwhile、 in Great Britain、 the traditionally recognized right of way in the countryside has been expanded since 2000. Legislation providing a system that allows the public to access privately owned green spaces freely for the purpose of walking and other recreational activities was also established and put into effect throughout the country by 2005. In particular、 legislation for countryside access in Scotland provides a system that makes various types of land、 including farmland and forests、 available for recreational use by the public、 while maintaining a balance with private rights.[*]This study clarifies the significance of expanding the system of countryside access、 including the opening of private land to the public in Great Britain、 and discusses the feasibility of such a system in Japan’s parks and green spaces policy. Dispensation for countryside access enhances the openness of privately owned green spaces and makes green spaces accessible to the public. One of the reasons behind this is the importance of walking and other activities with regard to tourism-related demand. Since the expansion of the right of access、 visits to green spaces in the countryside have tended to increase and become more routine. Consequently、 tourist consumption also tends to increase、 which has a positive effect on the tourism industry. Clarification of the rules has also contributed to the decrease in inappropriate access and facilitated proper recreational use of the countryside. It has also been pointed out in the discussions of the Panel on Infrastructure Development in Japan that it is important to enhance the effects of the "green" stock、 including privately owned green spaces、 by facilitating utilization of such stock. However、 openness of green spaces is not necessarily emphasized、 and it is necessary to consider utilization methods concerning semi-public、 semi-private spaces. In Japan、 it is basically necessary to obtain the consent of landowners in order to enter private green spaces、 due to private rights、 and it is difficult to introduce British access legislation without modification. A system that can enhance and ensure openness of green spaces according to agreements with their owners is considered highly significant for effective utilization of green spaces as existing stock. A possible method of enhancing the openness of privately owned green spaces in Japan is the opening of these spaces to the public through contracts and agreements、 such as the System of Civic Green Spaces、 which is implemented in accordance with the Urban Green Space Act. The role that can be played by NPOs and other local entities in such a method is also considered significant. |
