Urban Planning Department, Urban Development Division

Outline of the Division
The division performs surveys and research of various urban activities, and carries out technological development to contribute to the creation and efficient management of safe and comfortable urban spaces. And in light of recent social and economic conditions and global environmental problems, the division not only tackles challenges related to "development" in the narrow sense of the word, but also puts priority on research on the reconstruction and restoration of urban districts that inevitably deteriorate, the inducement of renewal activities, and conservation of good stock in the cores and the suburbs of cities.

Principal theme of research and development
Research on improvement and incentive methods in mini-development residential districts
In existing mini-development residential districts that were formed over wide areas of suburban cities during the period of high speed economic growth, the resident population has aged and buildings have deteriorated. There are cases where the nearby environment has deteriorated because houses have been reconstructed into three-story to maintain and expand their floor areas. This project studies methods of improving living environments by providing incentives for reconstruction in existing mini-development housing districts.

The percentage of the lots that are less than 100m2 in existing detachedresident-owned dwellings in the cities of Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures
 (Statistical survey of housing in 1993 (%))
The percentage of the lots that are less than 100m2 in existing detached
resident-owned dwellings in the cities of Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures
(Statistical survey of housing in 1993 (%))



Example of the Reconstruction of a House into Three-story in an Existing Mini-development Residential District
Photograph-1 Example of the Reconstruction of a House into
Three-story in anExisting Mini-development Residential District



Survey of the Efficient Improvement of Disaster Safety in High Density Urban Residential Districts
In order to improve fire safety and promote more efficient fire safety improvement projects in high density urban residential districts, the division develops evaluation criteria for the implementation of the "Improvement Project of Densely-inhabited Areas for Safe and Comfortable Environment" and studies the preparation of improvement guidelines. It also studies measures to promote improvements in non-physical areas (economic and welfare aspects) undertaken to stabilize the lives of the elderly and owners of small lots.


Improvement of a Disaster Protection Lane in a High Density Urban Residential District where the Improvement Project has been Undertaken (4-chome and 5-chome in Higashi-Ikebukuro in Toshima Ward, Tokyo)
Photograph-2 Improvement of a Disaster Protection Lane in a High Density Urban Residential District where the Improvement Project has been Undertaken (4-chome and 5-chome in Higashi-Ikebukuro in Toshima Ward, Tokyo)



Existing Non-conformed Condominiums Reconstruction Methods
The division cooperates with the Independent Administrative Institution Building Research Institute in research on methods to reconstruct existing non-conformed condominiums with excess capacity that would be difficult to reconstruct while maintaining the former total floor surface area as part of the project, "Development of Technology for Building and Recycling more Investment-efficient and Longer-lasting Urban Collective Housing."


Example of the Reconstruction of a Damaged Existing Non-conformed Condominium in Kobe
Photograph-3 Example of the Reconstruction of a Damaged Existing
Non-conformed Condominium in Kobe



Study of urban planning and redevelopment technology systems for urban district restoration
In Japan which faces mounting problems including the deterioration of neighborhoods in city core areas and expansion of urban functions to the suburbs, there is a demand for policies concerning urban restoration. The division is now preparing a research system to deal with the challenge of studying new urban planning methods incorporating urban structure measurement and evaluation technologies, studying how to design compact urban districts, and studying new redevelopment methods that utilize the urban skeleton.


Research staff
Head
Ishii Norimitsu
Urban analysis, urban structure visualization, urban disaster mitigation, community building for elderly people
Researcher
Kawanaka Takashi
Urban planning system, housing problem, lot control, GIS

Others

This division is staffed by researchers with a common background in urban planning system and residential environment. The head who has been in charge of restrictions for grouping and lot control of the Building Standard Law, townscape, urban planning accounting for the global environment, the application of GIS, and other issues, is now preparing urban revitalization research systems. The senior researcher who specializes in fields ranging from urban planning to housing policies including the improvement of residential environments in high density urban districts, district planning, urban master plans, etc., is now performing priority research on the improvement of residential environments in mini-development residential areas by providing incentives for reconstruction in particular.




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Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and TransportNational Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management




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