Urban Sprawl in Postwar Japan and the Vision of the City based on the Urban Theories of the Metabolists′ Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the urban schemes and theories developed by Metabolism in the period between 1958 and 1964, a period which saw the economic miracle of Japan, and to relate them in the context of the main international urban design theories and in the process of postwar urban growth of the Japanese city. The following aspects are found through the investigation: 1) Metabolist projects were mainly based on Western precedents in architecture and urban design, even though those models were further enhanced, especially concerning the aesthetic aspect. 2) There was a direct and important influence over those projects resulting from massive engineering works (such as land reclamation) undertaken in Japan for industrial and residential purposes. 3) Metabolist urban projects were a critical response to the city planning methods used in Japan, and aimed to improve the poor quality of the urban habitat caused by urban sprawl resulting from uncontrolled city growth.