Study on the new perspectives of town centers of small to medium-sized cities from the viewpoint of regional innovation: Based on the Interview Surveys to enterprises in Ishinomaki City and Nagahama City

There are a lot of researches and discussions on the revitalization of town centers of small to medium-sized cities. Recently, the Government proposed the concept of the compact city plus network from the viewpoint of reformation of urban forms. This paper aims at assessing and examining the roles of town centers of small to medium-sized cities and proposing the new directions of the revitalization from the viewpoint of the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship through intensive interview surveys to enterprises in Ishinomaki City and Nagahama City. As result, it is found out that the formation of innovation support networks within walking distance, the provision of various types of work-live units and the promotion of creative atmosphere are the key points to make the town centers to function as innovation hubs in the regions.