This study examines the progress achieved by projects aimed at promoting collective relocation for disaster prevention since the Great East Japan Earthquake and their current state of affairs. This investigation seeks to clarify the spatial characteristics of the residential land currently under construction on hilly terrain as part of these collective relocation projects. Spatial planning for the collective relocation project in Kesennuma city, which deals with a relatively small area, has focused on relocation that respects existing community units, i.e., along the National Highway 45, which is the main arterial road of Kesennuma.

One of the most insoluble problems confronted by urban areas in developing countries is the shortage of open space; street space allows daily human activities, promotes social interaction, and is seen as a precondition for the sustainable development of the community. Although some seemingly public space is also built up in Vietnam, street space is often where resident’s go to perform activities. This research aims at studying behaviors of users in old street space and the interaction with existing physical settings; as an input to future renovation and the development of street space in a manner that respects the cultural and social context of the Vietnamese people. User’s behaviors in streets and physical characteristics of space were collected and processed in accordance with theories of behavior setting and proxemics using some methods including place-centered behavioral mapping (PcBM) and visual encounter surveys (VES). The analysis showed that three types of behavior, including (1) Type A where various frequent activities occurred, (2) Type B which discouraged most human activities, and (3) Type C where neither frequent nor infrequent behaviors can represent environmental behavior patterns in the old street spaces of Vietnam and for each of these types of patterns improvements have been proposed by organizing street and pavements layouts detailed in this paper. The proposed improvements are based on the relationship between human behaviors and properties of the street space to assist designers, administers, and authorities in renovating and developing better and more sustainable street space.

Physical characteristics of residential areas affect many aspects of living sustainability, including the environmental behavior of residents. Based on the policy issued in China in 2016, the guideline of transforming existing gated housing blocks into open mode is being gradually implemented in some cities. However, the transforming of boundary walls and internal roads has changed the living environment such as the open space that residents have been accustomed to and has affected environmental behaviors correspondingly. From perspectives of spatial types and environmental behaviors, this research compared an open housing block (which is reconstructed from gated one) with a comparable original gated housing block. The Behavior Mapping Method was used to capture environmental behaviors in two housing blocks; factor analysis and cluster analysis were used to extract spatial characteristics and classify spatial types; and finally differences between the open housing block and the gated housing block were shown by comparing the distribution of environmental behaviors in each space type. The results indicate that the presence or absence of the enclosing walls affects the division of space types and environmental behaviors in housing blocks. For gated housing blocks, spaces with strong privacy attract various types of activities, which are overwhelming in categories and the number of people, while in the open housing blocks, this situation is not as obvious as in the former.

The contribution of front or back yards to sociability has been the subject of several studies. No such finding however is evident for side setback areas, short distances kept between adjacent buildings, which in the case of comparatively dense Japanese urban neighborhood environments can be as short as a few decimeters. The present study locates side setback areas and building facades that look towards them in Japanese planning terminology, and examines them from the residents' point of view. The data for this preliminary step of the research was collected based on a carefully designed and explained 2014 survey of 190 academics scholars throughout Japan. The results suggest that no demographic characteristic or housing type, number of floors or period of time living in the area were shown to be significant in residents' perceptions towards the side setback areas. Those who had no side setback area were more concerned with their privacy, smoke, sound or darkness whereas those with side setback areas were more satisfied. As for preferences, having a Green Wall, Terrace/Balcony and Living/Dining were the preferred choice of those with side setback areas. All respondents tended to perceive the spaces as valued for the light and ventilation they provide. Several activities such as storage, parking and drying clothes were common among the respondents' perceptions of activities suitable for these spaces.

This paper focuses on the concrete planning process involved in projects for promoting collective relocation after the Great East Japan Earthquake. In particular, we examine the relationships between the concerned stakeholders, which in a broad sense include the community, the administration, consultants, and outside supporters. We ascertain in detail how each of these stakeholders participated in the eventual