Patterns and Concepts of Suburban Development in Metropolitan Areas of Japan

Abstract

It is often said that two-thirds of Japan’s national land area consists of mountains, and the habitable area covers only 34% of the total area. The habitable and plain land is located mainly along the shoreline. As a result, urban spaces are geographically limited and population density is particularly high, compared with countries in Europe and North America, for example. This geographical limitation is considered to be one of the reasons why regulations to control rapid urbanization are comparatively loose in Japan. Resultantly, the country’s urban areas have expanded in the absence of effective methods for controlling the strong demand for the development and improvement of living spaces in cities and towns. In particular, the suburban areas of metropolises developed rapidly due to the period of high economic growth that commenced at the start of the 1960s. This article aims to analyze such patterns as well the locations of suburban developments, focusing mainly on detached houses in Japanese metropolises. A discussion of the problems with the existing model will provide the basis for a suggested urban policy that would enable Japanese cities (as well as overpopulated cities in European countries, such as Germany) to become more compact.