Tokyo Teleport Town: Between Utopia and Reality Essay Example
TERM PAPER - HISTORY OF JAPANESE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Tokyo Teleport Town: between utopia and reality
To what extent did the urban and scientific utopia of an ideal city become a reality?
14.02.2013 Simona Kalikova
Tokyo Teleport Town: between utopia and reality Simona Kalikova Introduction: "Tokyo consciously strives to transform itself into a world city through the creation of a network centre for innovation, information and finance." 1 Since the end of the Second World War the Tokyo metropolis was object of reconstruction, enlargement and development. Nevertheless, the urban growth enhanced by these transformations posed soon many problems – among the most important the land shortage for industrial and residential use. Therefore, since the 1960s, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) started to develop different urban projects, which were supposed to bring an efficient solution to the land shortage as well as to contribute to the decentralization of the Tokyo Metropolis. The ultimate objective of TMG's urban projects was to "promote the transition to a balanced and characteristic multi-core urban structure"2. According to the Second and Third Long-Term urban plan (1986 and 1990), the development of 7 sub-centers (respectively Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Osaki, UenoAsakusa, Kinshicho-Kameido and Waterfront Sub-center Teleport Town) was to be promoted. Whereas the 6 former sub-centers were already highly developed, the Tokyo Teleport Town (nicknamed T3), was the "imagined catalyst for the multicore urban structure adaptive to the demands of the future"3. Thus, the T3 was to become an "ideal self-sufficient city", harmonically combining residential, economic, cultural and leisure centers. Because of the highly ambitious and controversial nature of the T3 project, the objective of this paper will be to examine the extent to which this urban and scientific utopia of an ideal city became a reality. As it will be demonstrated through the analysis of the
Tokyo Teleport Town: between utopia and reality
To what extent did the urban and scientific utopia of an ideal city become a reality?
14.02.2013 Simona Kalikova
Tokyo Teleport Town: between utopia and reality Simona Kalikova Introduction: "Tokyo consciously strives to transform itself into a world city through the creation of a network centre for innovation, information and finance." 1 Since the end of the Second World War the Tokyo metropolis was object of reconstruction, enlargement and development. Nevertheless, the urban growth enhanced by these transformations posed soon many problems – among the most important the land shortage for industrial and residential use. Therefore, since the 1960s, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) started to develop different urban projects, which were supposed to bring an efficient solution to the land shortage as well as to contribute to the decentralization of the Tokyo Metropolis. The ultimate objective of TMG's urban projects was to "promote the transition to a balanced and characteristic multi-core urban structure"2. According to the Second and Third Long-Term urban plan (1986 and 1990), the development of 7 sub-centers (respectively Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Osaki, UenoAsakusa, Kinshicho-Kameido and Waterfront Sub-center Teleport Town) was to be promoted. Whereas the 6 former sub-centers were already highly developed, the Tokyo Teleport Town (nicknamed T3), was the "imagined catalyst for the multicore urban structure adaptive to the demands of the future"3. Thus, the T3 was to become an "ideal self-sufficient city", harmonically combining residential, economic, cultural and leisure centers. Because of the highly ambitious and controversial nature of the T3 project, the objective of this paper will be to examine the extent to which this urban and scientific utopia of an ideal city became a reality. As it will be demonstrated through the analysis of the