Investigating the Building Typology to Spatial Anthropology and Eco-History

Abstract

This research illuminates a true affluent city that coexists with an environment suitable for the 21st century, which differs from the urban model of the modern Western development type. For over 40 years, I have conducted research from a variety of perspectives in Tokyo, a somewhat complex and difficult-to-read megacity. In this document, I examine the characteristics of Tokyo's urban space and provide an overview of my research objectives, methods, and results obtained at each stage. The architectural typology methods that I was introduced to in Italy served as the foundation for my Tokyo studies. However, because this methodology was developed for Italian cities that were built artificially around architecture, it has limitations when exploring Tokyo, a Japanese city built in harmony with nature.  As a result, I used the concept of "spatial anthropology" in my research, which allows me to identify the characteristics of Japanese cities that distinguish them from western cities. Moreover, the concept of eco-history, which aims to enable new findings on cities and territories by integrating history and ecology, enabled a new perspective on Tokyo as a "water city."  We are now looking to extend our research to investigate the concept of an environment-friendly,  sustainable  and  truly  affluent city  suit- able for the 21st century\(-\)one that is different from the typical model of modern, Western-style urban development.