Housing Affordability Risk and Tourism Gentrification in Kyoto City
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe study aimed to clarify the relationship between the increase in accommodations 62 and housing prices in Kyoto City. Clearly defined goal of the study.
The study analyzed the temporal precedence of the impact of increased accommodations on the increase in housing prices from 2015 to 2019. The methods match up with the analysis process outlined.
The "analysis flow of this study which consisted of five steps" is well written and easy to understand. Visuals were very helpful in understanding the steps.
At Home dataset is an acceptable dataset that is validated and applicable for this study.
"This study extracted real estate data from this dataset registered.... "
This is the one concern I have. Was a specific tool used to extract the data? Casual inference? Cleary you did, otherwise you would not get the type of data you have in figure 5. Please outline what software was used and the methodology.
Line 361
This study’s findings indicate the need for urban policy to control the increase in housing prices. Based upon what I am reading, I am not sure that you can make this assumption with the information provided in the report. All other discussion points are acceptable.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer:
We appreciate the reviewer for the generous comment on the manuscript. We have attached our response letter in PDF format. We believe that the manuscript is now suitable for publication in Sustainability and look forward to hearing from you concerning your decision.
Yours sincerely
Mikio Yoshida, Haruka Kato
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper entitled “Housing Affordability Risk and Tourism Gentrification in Kyoto City” aims to clarify the relationship between the increase in accommodations and housing prices in Kyoto City. The study is relevant and interesting. However, I have some comments or questions:
Comment 1: (Line 98 - line 106). This paragraph should be moved to the materials and methods section.
Comment 2: (Line 111) Authors should avoid one-sentence sentences.
Comment 3: Authors should use appropriate styles for section headings.
Comment 4: (Line 214) “Section 3.2 analysed the changes in the average price and the average…” There is no need to include what the section contains in the first line of that section. These sentences should be avoided.
Comment 5: Conclusions section is too short. This section should describe the most important conclusions and take-home messages.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 2:
We appreciate the reviewer for the generous comment on the manuscript. We have attached our response letter in PDF format. We believe that the manuscript is now suitable for publication in Sustainability and look forward to hearing from you concerning your decision.
Yours sincerely
Mikio Yoshida, Haruka Kato
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI appreciate the effort put into the manuscript, and it is evident that a deep understanding of the subject matter has guided the work. However, I would like to note that the approach to such a complex topic seems somewhat one-dimensional. While the overall effort is commendable, I believe a more nuanced and multi-dimensional approach would significantly enhance the depth and impact of the study.
General Comments
1. At times, there is repetition in the text.
2. The conclusions drawn from the article are expected, lacking innovation as indicated (e.g., line 34).
3. The methodological approach is straightforward, and some points in the results are inadequately explained, attributing influences on other factors. This is a limitation, as mentioned by the authors.
Specific Comments
Abstract:
1. “This study’s research question was whether the increase in accommodation affects housing affordability in tourist cities. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the statistical relationship between the increase in accommodation―hotels and simple accommodations―and housing prices in Kyoto City, one of the world's most famous tourist cities.” The research question regarding the impact of increased accommodation on housing affordability in tourist cities is unclear. Does it refer to the increase in the number of tourist accommodations or their prices?
2. “Specifically, it was found that the average price of houses for sale increased by JPY 15 2,013,957/USD 18,382 per hotel in a neighborhood district. In addition, the average price of houses 16 for sale increased by JPY 6,412,102/USD 58,526 from 2015 to 2019.” The reported price increases are foreseeable outcomes; a more nuanced interpretation is needed.
3. “The results of this study suggest the need for urban policies to regulate the number of hotels and subsidize housing purchase prices for local residents, including young households.” The suggested urban policies might imply excessive state intervention in every attractive tourist destination.
Introduction:
1. “The background of this study is tourism gentrification in tourist cities.” The phrase "tourism gentrification" is somewhat awkward, lacking a clear definition for the reader.
2. In the first paragraph (lines 25-38) the term "tourism gentrification" is mentioned but despite the reference to Gotham's paper, the definition is not clear. The term "tourism gentrification" is introduced without a clear distinction from sustainable tourism.
3. “Due to this restriction, the number of buildings in Kyoto City is reaching its capacity limit.” (lines 68-69). The statement, "the number of buildings in Kyoto City is reaching its capacity limit," lacks empirical support.
Results:
1. It is stated that "the prices of the houses for sale in the historical center of Kyoto City increased due to the increasing number of hotels" (lines 276-288). It is justified by Table 1; however I think it is important to have a broader interpretation. How does the increase in the number of hotels affect the increase in the sale price of houses? Is the attractiveness of the area increasing and by extension the purchasing interest? If so, shouldn't the same be true of rental house prices? Does the increase in the number of accomodations, as pointed out in rows 261-263, appear to have a greater effect, and does the fact that more houses are being rented lower rent prices, despite increasing the attractiveness of the area?
Discussion:
1. “This result is significant because it indicates that housing prices increase when accommodation increases according to the type of accommodation and houses.” (lines 322-324) and “This insight suggests an imbalance between the number of hotels and houses for sale in the historical center of Kyoto City. The imbalance needs to be solved toward achieving sustainable tourism.” (lines 324-326). The statement about the significance of housing price increases with the growth of accommodations is logical. However, the concept of "imbalance" needs clarification. It is crucial to further analyze the link between imbalance and sustainable tourism in specific directions.
I hope that my comments will be helpful to the authors.
Sincerely,
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 3:
We appreciate the reviewer for the generous comment on the manuscript. We have attached our response letter in PDF format. We believe that the manuscript is now suitable for publication in Sustainability and look forward to hearing from you concerning your decision.
Yours sincerely
Mikio Yoshida, Haruka Kato
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Authors,
The manuscript deals with an interesting and current topic. The study gives valuable information on housing affordability and prices in Kyoto prior to the COVID pandemic, it is well written, the discussion is balanced. Still, I think several improvements should be made, particularly regarding
· the correlation between the increase of house prices and increase in the number of accommodation facilities, namely:
- What are the top neighbourhoods districts of Kyoto city centre in terms of number of accommodation facilities and percentage of home rentals? Is there a direct connection with the greatest house price increase and highest mean rent?
- What are the neighborhoods that are most “at risk” regarding rental availability and housing for sale due to tourism gentrification? Were these neighbourhoods largely residential or commercial prior to 2015?
- How does the affordability correlates with household income and ability to pay long-term rent in the ND most popular for tourism? If the price increased differently, depending on the neighbourhood, more affluent renters in some neighbourhoods may be able to adapt easier to the price increase than those in the more modest neighbourhoods. Not everybody faces the same difficulties.
- Could you also identify properties that are rented only during one of the city’s cultural events which attract a large crowd of tourists, and during the remaining period they still are the long-term home of Kyoto residents? In this particular instance, these properties can also provide their renters with an extra income (do they sublet?).
Conclusions – this section should be reconsidered, since it is very short and many sentences are similar to the ones in the sections above.
Minor issues are also mentioned directly on the manuscript. Please see the document attached.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
There are no major problems regarding the use of the English language.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer 4:
We appreciate the reviewer for the generous comment on the manuscript. We have attached our response letter in PDF format. We believe that the manuscript is now suitable for publication in Sustainability and look forward to hearing from you concerning your decision.
Yours sincerely
Mikio Yoshida, Haruka Kato
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI commend the authors for their work, demonstrating a solid understanding of the subject matter. All the changes I suggested during my initial review have been incorporated, and I believe the manuscript now meets the high standards required for publication in Sustainability.
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThank you for considering the recommendations. I think the final version of hte paper can be published.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageOnly minor editing is required.
