the loss of the Kyomachiya
loss in numbers
As mentioned before, the historic townscape of Kyoto is first of all slowly vanishing due to the number of Kyomachiya that has rapidly diminished in the past decades. There are four main causes which can be linked to this decrease: 1. The late consideration for protection of the Kyomachiya: the traditional townhouse only gained recognition as important cultural heritage in the 1990’s. 2. Changes in urban policies and architecture laws: laws making it almost impossible to build these Kyomachiya in a traditional manner due to new fire safety and earthquake regulations. 3. Changes in family structure: townhouses became too big for one family, which shifted from around five family members to only two members. 4. The rise of property taxes: many Kyomachiya stayed unoccupied or were sold to new high rise developments because of a too large property cost.
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As a consequence, there is a great decline of the traditional Kyomachiya architecture leading to the loss of the urban identity of Kyoto.*
* (World Bank Group et al., 2018) *(Fabian, 2013)
