Since Higashiyama Ward in Kyoto has a wealth of historic buildings, regulations on redevelopment projects in the area has been relatively strict, causing insufficient improvement of the living environment; as a result, the ward has become a "sparsely-populated urban area" (the ward has the smallest population in the eleven wards in Kyoto City).
京都のなかでもとりわけ歴史的建造物などの多い場所であるため再開発事業などに対しての規制が比較的厳しく、住環境の整備がなかなか行わない為、『都会の過疎地』となっている（現在、市内11区中で人口が最も少ない。