Changes in vegetation cover and connectivity of private gardens at traditional wooden townhouses in the ancient city of Kyoto

A large number of Kyoto’s traditional wooden townhouses (referred to here as “KWTs”; kyo-machiya in Japanese), characterized by various types of gardens, have been demolished in recent years as lifestyles have changed. Against a background of limited research into the ecological status of such gardens (referred to here as “KWT gardens”), the authors investigated related changes in a school district where numerous KWTs have been removed, although many still remain, based on the aerial photographs of the local area and related distribution data. The results indicated that KWT gardens as a percentage of overall vegetation cover (“VC”) decreased from 39 to 28% between 1987 and 2008, and that separation/miniaturization of green spaces had progressed. However, some KWT gardens still remained at new houses renovated from KWTs. It was found that, although VC and the connectivity of KWT gardens had decreased due to KWT demolition, such areas still represent a significant part of VC in the ancient city of Kyoto. Accordingly, it is necessary to evaluate remaining KWT gardens and promote their preservation as cultural and ecological assets.