Abstract
The Japanese city presents a certain number of peculiarities in the organization of its physical space (weak zoning regulations, fast piecemeal destruction/reconstruction of buildings and blocks, high compacity, incremental reorganization). Compared to countries where urban fabrics are more perennial and easily distinguishable (old centers, modern planned projects, residential areas, etc.), in Japanese metropolitan areas we often observe higher heterogeneity and more complex spatial patterns. Even within such a model, it should be possible to recognize the internal organization of the physical city. The aim of this paper is thus to study the spatial structure of the contemporary Japanese city, generalizing on the case study of Osaka and Kobe. In order to achieve this goal, we will need to identify urban forms at different local scales (building types, urban fabrics) and to analyze them at a wider scale to delineate morphological regions and their structuring of the overall layout of the contemporary Japanese city. Several analytical protocols are used together with field observations and literature. The results, and more particularly the building and urban fabric types and their location within the Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area, are interpreted in the light of Japanese history and model of urbanization. A synoptic graphical model of an urban morphological structure based upon Osaka is produced and proposed as an interpretative pattern for the Japanese metropolitan city in general.
Highlights
Different models focusing on the spatial organization of cities exist
More than half of the Japanese urban population were living in “inferior conditions” [30], and Osaka, far from being spared from this phenomenon, was increasingly covered by slums inhabited by the working class
If the last section explored the urban fabrics/building types that can be found in the Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area, this section proposes a global model of Japanese
Summary
Different models focusing on the spatial organization of cities exist. The classical models of urban geography have first and foremost focused on socio-functional spatial organization. Urban Sci. 2019, 3, 105 physical city and the morphological regions that can be identified within it These works on European cities took into consideration street layouts, building styles and arrangements, function locations and centralities [7]. They later allowed the emergence of new approaches and concepts into the classical schools of urban morphology, such as urban fabric and morphological regions [8,9]. Seven distinctive buildings and nine urban fabric families have been identified in Osaka-Kobe conurbation These families are subsequently cross analyzed with field observations and interpreted in the light of the specificities of the Japanese model of urbanization.
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