Urbanization Transition Types and Zones in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefectures

Abstract

Spatial and temporal patterns of urbanization in Tokyo and Kanagawa were analyzed based on changes in administrative type from village to town to city to ward. Using a GIS, changes in these units between 1889 and 1995 were recorded from historical maps, half-decade censuses, and other sources. Many areas had sequential change (on a progression from village to town to city to ward), others had nonsequential change, skipping one or more steps, and some remain unchanged. There was an expanded core-city zone of nonsequential transition (from village or town directly to ward), an inland/coastal suburb zone of sequential transition (e.g., villages became a town, then towns became a suburban city), a foothills zone of nonsequential transition (e.g., villages and a town joined to become a city), and a mountain-towns zone of sequential transition (villages formed a town). These four zones form an alternating pattern of nonsequential, sequential, nonsequential, and sequential transition types. Areas adjacent to the core cities of Tokyo and Yokohama had nonsequential transitions, annexed as wards from villages or towns in the 1920s and 1930s. The next zone had gradual, sequential formation of mid-sized suburban cities, with most conversions to city occurring in the 1950s through 1970s. The third zone comprised satellite cities formed by nonsequential consolidation of villages and towns to form large mountain-edge cities, at various times during the century. The final zone had sequential change from mountain village to town. These urbanization transition zones reflect the differences in core, suburban, and satellite city growth patterns.