Urbanization promotion and control in metropolitan Japan

Abstract

Urbanization in post‐war Japan has been phenomenal. Massive migration from rural to urban areas led to the expansion of metropolitan areas both in population and in geographical terms, and has consequently caused various problems related to land development such as high land prices, long distance commuting, poor housing conditions, inadequate infrastructure provision and urban sprawl. All these problems have been most conspicuous in the metropolitan fringe areas where the pressure for development has been strongest. In 1968, the Japanese government introduced a set of new planning measures including distinct land zones within which urbanization would and would not be permitted, as a major device for controlling land development in the metropolitan areas. However, its effect is questionable: a number of small, sporadic developments have taken place within Urbanization Control Areas whilst a large amount of land within Urbanization Promotion Areas has remained undeveloped. The paper ends with a discussion on differences between western and Japanese planning ideologies.