Peripheries and Future Urban Spatial Structures of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area: Correspondence of Regional Planning

Abstract

After high growth of economy and the following recession in the latter half of the twentieth century, Japan is going on the long population decline path, and we have been presented with difficulties in spatial planning. In order to solve problems by population decline the new regional planning system has been enacted, and in the Shuto-ken area including Tokyo Metropolitan Area the Wide Area-Regional Plan has been made. Though the Metropolitan peripheries played various important roles so far in the process of Japanese growth, the Plan does not focus on the peripheries so that they could do more roles in the future. Since there are many difficulties in terms of the complex spatial logic in the peripheries with population decline, more ideas should be discussed as well as special spatial planning logics should be developed. This paper introduces roles of peripheries and the progress of regional planning systems, points out issues of the new regional plan from the peripheral points of view, and seeks for future prospects of the Metropolitan peripheries.