著者

佐藤 英人 荒井 良雄

出版者

The Human Geographical Society of Japan

雑誌

人文地理 (ISSN:00187216)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.55, no.4, pp.367-382, 2003-08-28 (Released:2009-04-28)

参考文献数

58

被引用文献数

2 3

---

In this paper, we try to focus the relationship between progress in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the suburbanization of the office location.Information-related functions are located not only in the central business district (CBD) but also in the suburbs in Tokyo metropolitan area. Particularly conspicuous suburban locations are Yokohama area, Makuhari area and Tachikawa area, all of which are situated within some 30km from of the CBD.The Makuhari Shintoshin (new city) project has been successively promoted since 1989. To date, this new city is increasingly attracting information-related functions from the CBD, forming a new suburban office core. In terms of capital scale and business contents, these firms can be classified into the following three types. 1. Internet-related firms, 2. Back offices, 3. R&D sections of major firms.Taking into consideration factors of the suburbanization of internet-related firms and back offices, the push factor for internet-related firms have been a sharp rise in office overheads in the CBD, and the push factor for back offices an increase in the number of employees due to intensive investment by major firms in the information industry in the 1990s; the suburbanization has thus made headway in order to secure office space. The pull factor appears to be the same for both internet-related firms and for back offices; namely, an abundant supply of high-quality information infrastructure, specifically intelligent buildings in Makuhari Shintoshin, which has served as a significant pull.In cases where major firms have constructed their own buildings and established the R&D sector, in particular, it is necessary to introduce changes in the corporate organization, which is distinctly different from the situation where single business establishments are relocated. Firms have constructed in Makuhari Shintoshi, with existing offices using a large-volume broad-band communications network, smooth in-house electronic data exchange has become possible leading to the development of an environment in which telecommunications can be actively introduced. For this reason, it is assumed that the "R&D sector", the sector that necessitates relatively little direct contact with clients, has been relocated from the CBD to the suburbs.This paper considered that the relationship between new ICTs and the suburbanization of office location on the basis of practical case study. It is generally understood that new ICT represents one of the factors behind the suburbanization of office location. This conclusion is consistent with previous case studies in Europe and the United States.Future studies will focus on comparing with another suburban core cities, because we continue to discuss that the standardization of relationship between progress in ICTs and the suburbanization of the office location.