Declining working-age population, low birthrates, and aging populations raise concerns about regional vitality, prompting cities to enhance their attractiveness. Japan’s MLIT developed the “Index for Measuring the Comfortability in Urban Space” to support town center development. This study analyzes the perceived objects and their effects and examines the effectiveness of the evaluation method when using the index in Haremachi Street (West) and Shimoishii Park. Evaluators interpreted some items differently, and the index might be biased towards high plaza ratings.
Hori et al. (Sat,) studied this question.