Side Setback Areas as Side Yards Architectural and Psychological Evaluation of Side Setback Areas in Residential Buildings Using a Multidimensional Measure – Case Study of Sapporo Neighbourhoods, Japan

Abstract

In urban environments, front yards and backyards are valued by residents for the opportunities they provide for enriching residential activities and promoting neighbourly ties. This article extends previous inquiries to identify the preferred uses and attributes of side setback areas in a comparatively dense urban environment. While front yards or backyards may contribute to sociability, no such effects have been reported for the side setback areas, with their function being instrumental rather than social. On the basis of a 2013 survey, the average side setback area in Sapporo (Japan) is <2 m wide and its typical use is for storage. A series of cross-statistical analyses was used to investigate possible correlations and to predict the role of the physical attributes of adjacent facades on the perceptions of the respondents. This was followed by an in-depth interview of those who volunteered. The results indicated that side setback areas that were lesser than 1-m wide were perceived as abandoned and assumed to have no function. However, those wider than 1 m were seen as secondary storage areas. Regardless of this, respondents valued the light and ventilation provided by side setback areas.

城市居民非常看重住宅的前院和后院，因为院子丰富了居民的家居活动，改善了邻里关系。本文在前人研究的基础上略作拓展，考察人口相对密集的城市环境下对房屋两侧空间的使用偏好。房屋的前、后院具有社交功能，但侧面空间却没有这样的功能，它们主要具有工具性而不是社交性的功用。2013 年的一项调查表明，日本札幌房屋侧面的空间平均宽度不到2 米，最典型的用法是作为储物空间。我们使用一系列跨数据分析，试图发现潜在的相关关系，预测相邻建筑立面物理特征对回答者感受的影响。随后我们对志愿者进行了深度访谈。结果显示宽度小于1 米的房屋两侧空间被视为无用而弃置。而宽度大于1 米的则被视为备用储物空间。回答者一律认为房屋侧面空间不论大小对采光和通风都很重要。

Keywords:

• Side setback
• neighborhood perception
• multidimentional meaure
• Japanese neighborhood

Notes

1. Setback areas Examples of side setback area provision can be found in the following references. Side and rear setback areas for residential development, Information Sheet 3.4. (January 2015) NSW Government Planning and Environment. Planning Practice Note 27 – Understanding the Residential Development Standards (ResCode) (June 2004) State of Victoria, Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure. Setback Requirements – Residential Design Codes of Western Australia (April 2014). Residential Code Checklist – Regulations (August 2012) Government of South Australia, Department of Planning, Transportation and Infrastructure. Building Setbacks (Section 4.4.2) Rules – General Standards – General Residential, Residential Intensification Zones and Large Lot Residential Zones – Hamilton City Council. www.hamilton.govt.nz. Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan: Fact Sheet Unitary Plan, Residential – Mixed Housing Urban and Suburban zones. Auckland Council. www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz. Section 7 – Residential Rules – Areas (March 2010) Queenstown-Lakes District Council – District Plan.

2. There are nine universal categories for planning zoning in Japanese cities. In the official Japanese Law Translation, the Article 8 (1) of City Planning Act (Law Number: Act No. 100 of 1968) (1948). Seven of them include residential zonings. There is a minimum 1–1.5 m minimum setback from boundary line in Category 1 and 2 Low-rise Exclusive Residential District. Although many of the samples from this study were from categories other than Category 1 and 2 Low-rise Exclusive Residential Districts, there are respective setbacks from their boundaries. The maximum Building Coverage Ratio and FAR also vary in different designated zones in each category.