On September 20, the Reiwa 5 prefectural land price survey (land prices as of Reiwa 5/7/1) was announced. As for land price trends within Kanagawa Prefecture, the rate of increase expanded for all uses, with residential land being 2.1% (0.8% the previous year), commercial land 4.3% (same 1.9%), and industrial land 5.2% (same 3.9%).
As for residential areas, suburban land prices have also risen in response to diversification of consumer needs due to changes in lifestyle, and the Shonan area has also shown steady growth overall.
Meanwhile, small workers currently have offices in Hiratsuka City (there is controversy about “how far in Shonan”) Although land prices for residential areas turned positive from ▲0.1% the previous year to 1.4%, it is undeniable that they are sluggish compared to Fujisawa City (4.1% (same 2.0%)) and Chigasaki City (4.5% (same 2.5%)) along the same JR Tokaido Main Line.
In conversations with traders and real estate agents in the city and neighboring cities and towns, “Hiratsuka City, especially the area south of the JR Tokaido Main Line, has well-organized streets compared to the above 2 cities, and 'Hiratsuka' station is the starting station for some trains on the Ueno Tokyo Line and Shonan Shinjuku Line, so if you wait a bit, you can sit and commute to Tokyo, Shibuya, and Shinjuku, and the convenience in terms of living is rather high. However, demand for residential land is weak compared to both cities.” I often hear that voice.
Compared to the 2 cities, there are points where the distance from the city center is slightly far, but despite not being inferior in terms of “convenience and comfort of living,” which is emphasized by the main consumers of residential areas, the “image” is probably influenced by the sluggish land prices in residential areas.
In conversations with people living in Tokyo, “I've lived in Kamakura, Fujisawa, and Chigasaki, but I can't really think of the option 'Hiratsuka' for once-in-a-lifetime shopping.” It is said.
The population of Hiratsuka City has been over moved in for 8 consecutive years, but compared to the above 2 cities, there are overwhelmingly few people moving in from within Tokyo. After all, from the perspective of Tokyo residents, Hiratsuka seems to be a city that lacks the appeal of “wanting to live.”
Local governments are actively working on “community development” that is easy to live in, but I always feel that efforts such as image improvement that make people living in Tokyo “want to emigrate” are a bit lacking.
Despite sufficient “convenience and comfort of living” in the suburbs of large cities, I think there are surprisingly many municipalities, such as Hiratsuka City, where move-in is limited or outflow is excessive due to image.
It seems that it will become important for local governments to actively work to improve the image of the town in measures against population decline in the future.
Reprinted from “Weekly Building Management” by Building Management Institute Co., Ltd. (with permission)
