The center has shifted: Multifunctional facility in Japan reshapes where people linger
Jul 02, 2026
Suburban city centers across Japan are gradually declining as residents shift to car-oriented shopping malls in outlying areas. Urban planners have sought to reverse this trend through urban catalytic projects, strategically placed facilities designed to trigger broader regeneration. Yet empirical e
vidence on whether such projects actually redirect people's stay behavior beyond the facility itself has remained scarce. ...read more read less