No abstract

As the population is shrinking in many municipalities in Japan, one of its effects is the vacant house crisis. The rise of empty houses profoundly affects the city’s society and economy, e.g., property value reduction, increased crime rate, poor sanitation, and housing market stagnation. To better understand the mechanism of the vacant house crisis, the present study proposes to examine the determinants of housing vacancy spatial distribution with the case study of the city of Sapporo. The results highlight the severe vacant cluster in the central city, which would seem to link to the disequilibrium housing market rather than the urban decline. Regarding vacancy determinants, demographic features were the most influential factors, followed by housing and neighborhood characteristics. Specifically, the vacancy correlated strongly with a high density of single households, children, the elderly (in the center), and a high share of offices. The surplus in housing supply and the inelasticity in housing structures also affected the vacancy significantly. On the contrary, a high percentage of private property, household ownership, and the elderly (in suburban) would reduce the vacancy. For other facilities, clinics, parking, public transportation, and educational institutions had a medium effect on the vacancy. Finally, the influence factors varied, across city areas, in magnitude and direction. These outcomes would be helpful for decision-making to alleviate the rise of vacant houses and their effect on the urban area.

Achieving sustainable development goals requires adequate housing provision, one of the most crucial tasks for consolidating economic and social capacity. This study aimed to review the housing development process and policies in Japan and Vietnam, which are representatives for establishing a sustainable housing market in developed and developing economies. We first presented the situation of the Japanese housing market from the post-World War II period to the present, including three periods of economic development, recovery, development, and stabilization. We then reviewed implemented policies that greatly affected the changes in housing stock from shortage to fulfillment. Similarly, we summarized the main characteristics of the Vietnamese housing market and policies since the economic perspective changed. The experiences in both countries indicate that economic reform and the private sector play a substantial role in accomplishing the housing market balance. Notably, the study also pointed out a potential and existing crisis, including housing vacancy and affordability. We propose that understanding the current situation would help policymakers to consolidate the housing provision and mitigate the crisis effects. On the other hand, lessons learned from these two cases might be helpful for other countries to emulate.