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News Letter

Edited by

No.21 March 2003

The International Committee of the CPIJ
Chair: Akihiko TANI, Kanazawa Institute of Technology

Urban Regeneration in the Central area of Japan
Contents: From Editor: Two Tales of Regeneration in the Central area of Japan
Shigeru FUKUSHIMA, Professor, Faculty of Urban Science, Meijo University

1. The Dilemma and Regeneration of Nagoya, the Showcase City of Modern City Planning
Tomokazu IZAWA, The Urban Institute SPACIA

2. A Challenge of Misogigawa Co. Ltd., A Private Community Development Company- Community development through rejuvenating local shops, culture and environments in NanaoNami MORIYAMA, Chief Manager, Misogigawa Co.Ltd.

FROM EDITOR: Two Tales of Regeneration in the Central area of Japan
Shigeru FUKUSHIMAFUKUSHIMA, Professor,
Faculty of Urban Science, Meijo University
and urban spaces are
required to cope withthis kind of diversity.
The attractiveness ofa city is created by avariety of entities whowish to express or realize their dreams
within a framework of
local culture and an
urban environment.
Functions and spaces
to foster and support
their wishes are required in cities.
Two articles in this issue look at the regeneration of two downtown areas in the central area ofJapan. One is in Nagoya, a major city with a population of 2.18 million. The other is in Nanao, a small
town with less than 50,000 residents. The former aims
to break away from its image as a modern functionally-planned industrial city. The latter aims to recreate a traditional humans-shops-town relationship, andto create an axis of liveliness. The two stories differ intheir context and their goals, but they have in common
attempts to regenerate a unique urban culture and environment. Also, "environment" and "participation" aretwo keywords in the regeneration of provincial cities.
The article about Nanao describes how the challenge
to regenerate shops, the river and the downtown community is being met by Misogigawa Co. Ltd., a community development company established by local business persons. For a deeper understanding of regeneration in provincial areas, please refer to the article on
the regeneration attempt in Kanazawa City in CPIJ
Newsletter No.17.

How to regenerate provincial cities has become a matter of urgency. The hollowing out of downtown areas in provincial cities seems to provide evidence in support of the necessity for regeneration.
However, merely inviting mega stores with a view tomaking the cities more lively is not enough to achieve
regeneration. For various reasons, provincial cities
have been losing their significance, and changes in society and the economy now demand new qualities incities. These changes include a demographic shift
caused by a declining birthrate and an aging population; the maturing of society; the globalization of theeconomy; changes in local industrial structure; a risingawareness of environmental issues; and so on. The
regeneration of provincial cities can only be accomplished by recovering diminishing urban functions utilizing existing local resources, and recreating a city that
can adapt to changes in the social and economic situation.
One of the diminishing functions of provincial cities is the ability to create a lifestyle that is rooted
in a particular local culture and environment. The consequence is the loss of each city's distinctive identity,
in other words, the loss of its uniqueness, which is also
the source of its wealth. The expansion of corporate
capital through retail chains and services all over Japan and the decline of local socioeconomic space are
the main causes of the regression of locally centeredfunctions. Besides, modern functionalistic city planning is also responsible for creating this situation. Finally, in a mature society, values and lifestyles diversify in a context of stability and wealth. And the diversification is oriented in a certain direction: More emphasis is put on "activities" than on "materials;" there
is a greater aspiration for genuine articles, for amenity, and for a better environment. Urban functions
CPIJ News Letter No.21 March.2003

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1. The Dilemma and Regeneration of Nagoya, the Showcase City of Modern City Planning
Tomokazu IZA
WA, The Urban Institute SPACIA
IZAW
1. Introduction
I wonder how many readers of this article arefamiliar with the name "Nagoya" or know its locationin Japan. Compared to Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka, Nagoya
is still close to nothing.
In an English travel guidebook, Nagoya is
introduced as "a commercial and industrial center," but"not a top travel destination." It also says, "There aresome lesser attractions, many excellent restaurants,
and the city itself is fairly pleasant; it is similar to ascale down, far more relaxed version of Tokyo." (Lonely
Planet "JAPAN" 7th edition October 2000). Other
guidebooks are more or less similar. "A majortransportation hub for the region, Nagoya is a pleasantand convenient, if unexciting base" (Eyewitness Travel
Guides "Japan" Dorling Kindeley, 2002 Edition).
Nagoya is unattractive and unexciting, but atransportation hub and a convenient city. The former
guidebook devotes 80 pages to Tokyo, 58 pages to Kyoto,
18 pages to Osaka, and 11 pages to Nagoya.
Nagoya is a name for both a region and a city.
The Nagoya region contains a population of 10 million
and is one of the three metropolises of Japan, the othertwo being Tokyo and Osaka. Of these three
metropolises, Nagoya is the most specialized in
manufacturing industry. The automobile, machine tool,
ceramic, and textile industries are concentrated in the
Nagoya region. On the other hand, the city of Nagoya
contains 2.18 million people, and is the fourth largest
city following Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka. This paper
focuses on this city, Nagoya, on the dilemma it faces
and on its attempt at regeneration.

(2)City Planning until WWIIAs Japan entered the Meiji Era, modernizationand industrialization were promoted nationally under
the slogan, "catch-up-with-the-West." Since Nagoya
had neither a deep harbor nor coal mines to serve as asource of fuel, the textile industry, the local industry at
the time, was promoted as a national project. In termsof modern industrialization, Nagoya made a slow start.
However, taking an advantage of the city's position asa major distributing center of lumber, a lumber sawing
industry developed, along with the manufacture of wall
clocks and railcars. In addition, automatic loom wasinvented for use in the textile industry; the loom later
became the original symbol of Toyota Motor
Corporation. Noritake, world famous for Old Noritake
China, also originated in Nagoya. Then, as armament
factories and related industries started to be built in
Nagoya, the city came to be associated with theminutions industry.
Being a distribution center, harbors and railroads
became important. Nagoya Harbor was first built in
1907, then gradually expanded its functions. As forthe railroads, development started around 1900. The
Tokaido-Line (linking Tokyo and Kobe), the Chuo-Line(linking Tokyo and Nagoya), and the Kansai-Line(linking Osaka and Nagoya) were opened. The
Nakagawa Canal opened in 1930. In the 1930s, theNagoya station building, which was said to be thelargest in the East, and a 45-meter wide road (Sakuradori) were constructed.
Because of its thriving industries and armament
factories, Nagoya was bombed 38 times during WWII,
and 3,850 ha of its land was burned. The bombings
caused the death of 7,800 people and damaged 135,000
households. More than half of the built-up area,
including sites of historical importance such as Nagoya
Castle and Atada Shrine, was lost.
In addition to wartime bombing, Nagoya sufferedfrom major earthquakes in 1891 and 1944.

2. The History of City Planning in Nagoya(1) A Castle Town, a Temple Town and a Post Station
The history of Nagoya starts with the building of
Nagoya Castle and the "Move from Kiyosu" in 1610.
As the basic plan for the new town, a grid-pattern plan
was adopted. The standard living area for thetownspeople is composed of 100 meter by 100 metersquare blocks surrounded by 6-meter wide streets.
The term "Move from Kiyosu" refers to thetransfer of the entire Kiyosu castle town, which was
located 6km northwest of present-day Nagoya.
Temples, shrines, and bridges, not to mention Samurai
residences and townhouses, were relocated. Blessedwith rich crop fields in the surrounding area, the castle
town flourished. After a big fire which burned down
most of the townspeople's area in 1660, a wide boulevard(Hirokoji), extending from west to east, was built as afire break.
At around the same time, a temple town wasformed around Atsuta Shrine, which is said to havebeen built in the third century. The temple town
developed and expanded after it was designated as anaccommodation town for the Tokai post road in 1601.
The combination of the castle town and the temple/
accommodation town formed the original shape of
Nagoya.
CPIJ News Letter No.21 March.2003

Synbol open space in Nagoya City
Hisaya Odori(Hisaya boulevard)2

(3)City Planning after the War
After the war, Nagoya quickly started on the War
Rehabilitation Land Readjustment Project, which
covered 3,452ha including most of the downtown area.
In 1945, the "Greater Chukyo Reconstruction Plan" wasannounced. The plan centered around building a citywith two million residents, equipped with two 100meter wide boulevards and nine 50-meter wide trunk
roads constructed in a grid pattern. The hundred-meterwide boulevards were Hisaya-Odori (extending for1.74km from north to south), and Wakamiya-Odori(extending for 4.12km from east to west). Center strips
were to be built as parks, which would also function as
fire breaks. Today, Hisaya-Odori has become a symbol
road for Nagoya.

through "urban regeneration" emerged as a major
theme.
By that time, Nagoya, the model city of moderncity planning, had lost its historical features as a resultof the war, and the grid-patterned road network had
exposed attractive "back streets" (alleys andpassageways). The result was a city that was clean but
unattractive. In other words, Nagoya had turned froma promising "ideal city" or "city of youth" into a "boring"and "monotonous city." The descriptions in theguidebooks mentioned earlier illustrate the turnaround.
So the challenge for Nagoya became one of adding
extra values to the high-quality modern urban
infrastructure to attract visitors and private
investment. Starting in the 1980s, the City of Nagoya
placed emphasis on landscape policy. Water fountains
and public art projects were introduced, illegal signs
were removed, and awards were given to aestheticallysuperior buildings. In 1984, a city regulation, Codes
for Urban Landscape, was passed. As the city's
centenary event, the World Design Exposition '89 was
held.
(2) The Urban Cores of Nagoya
There are two cores in the city of Nagoya. One is
the Nagoya Station District, and the other is Sakae
District. The former is an area around Nagoya Station,a transportation hub with a concentration of offices.
In the latter, corporate headquarters, shops and offices
are concentrated.
In 2000, Japan Railway Central Towers (approx.
42ha floor area, 245m high) projected an image ofdignity in front of Nagoya Station. The building of
Toyota-Mainichi Building (19ha, 246m) and aredevelopment plan for the Ushijima-Minami District(14ha, 180m) were announced consecutively. Both are
due to be completed in 2007. Since Nagoya Station
District was designated as "an urban regeneration
promotion district," in which deregulation and tax
exemption are permitted so as to induce private
investment, major movement is anticipated in the
Nagoya Metropolitan Area.
Let's look at Sakae District, the other core.
Although there is no major redevelopment plan as in
Nagoya Station District, large-scale commercial
enhancement is under way. A new department store
and an enlargement of an existing department store
are being planned. When these are completed, 10
department stores and boutiques will form a line on
one street, and will comprise a mega shopping zone with
50ha of floor area. Further on the east side of the zone
is the 100-meter wide Hisaya-Odori, the 70-meter wide
center-strip park of the boulevard will act as an event
space that may attract many visitors. Along the street
are the Art and Cultural Center and informationemitting facilities such as a broadcast station. Sakae
Park has just reopened with a new floating water tank
(Oasis 21). On the west side of the zone is the 30-meterwide Otsu-Dori, on which high-class boutiques havestarted to appear lately.
Nagoya must be one of the world's leading areas
in terms of such huge commercial concentration withina high-quality urban environment. We must utilize thisLand scape in Hisaya Odori

Another significant feature of the plan was themoving of cemeteries. There were many temples within
the burned-down area, and most of them had
cemeteries. However, cemeteries were regarded as anenvironmentally and aesthetically negative factor, so
it was decided that they should be moved to the suburbs.
187,000 graves from 278 temples were moved to a 92ha park area, which came to be called "the Peace Park."
3. Dilemma of a Showcase City of Modern City
Planning(1) From "a developing city" to "a mature city"
Reconstruction projects were promoted steadily.
The basic skeleton of the city was completed in the
1960s; and the city was called "the City of Youth",signifying its high expectations for further development.
An industrial area was formed along the waterfront
and the automobile industry flourished inland.
Infrastructures such as roads and parks were createdthrough land readjustment projects, which had started
before the war in downtown and peripheral areas andlater expanded into the suburbs. Nagoya overcame war
and earthquake disasters and built roads, parks,
harbors, and railroad networks. A model of "a modern
city," one based on an industrialized society, wasconstructed.
However, in the 1970s, after the experience of
two oil crises, there was heightened criticism of"modernization" that prioritized efficiency andfunctionality. In the 1990s, with the collapse of the
bubble economy, the consequent slowdown of economic
growth, and the prospect of population decrease andan aging society, economic and regional revitalization
CPIJ News Letter No.21 March.2003

3

concentration and public space to enhance liveliness inthe downtown area.
(3) Growing out into a More Attractive City
Utilizing the environment that our forefathers
left us is a responsibility imposed on those who live
now. "Urban regeneration", considering what is to beconserved and what rejuvenated, is a restructuring ofurban space from this point of view.
For example, consider public spaces and open
cafes. Until now, public spaces have been built andmanaged by central or local government,. This madefor greater efficiency. However, people's needs
diversified, and open spaces are not used as efficiently
as they might be to create attractiveness in a city. Opencafes on sidewalks are daily sights in Europe andAmerican cities; but in Japan, the law prohibits them.
The authorities say that sidewalks are built to facilitate
movement and not to use for resting and talking.
However, these functions are necessary in a rich andenjoyable outdoor life. As the elderly population
increases, cafes will be a valuable resting place.
Nagoya's many wide streets are tailor made for open
cafes and street performances. If people's eyes areturned to outside spaces as a result, enclosedarchitectural spaces may turn into more open areas.
Right now, a social experiment on open cafes isunderway in Hisaya-Odori.
For another example, consider using industries
as a tourist resource. Nagoya is looking for more visitors
to help foster its tourist industry. It wants more people
to visit the city and lodge rather than just changing
trains. One possibility is industrial tourism. Of course,
there is a 400-year history of samurai culture. But there
is also a deeprooted industrial culture. Ceramics,

JR Central Towers at Nagoya Station

textiles, woodwork, food (e.g., sake, vinegar, miso paste,soy sauce), cold steel and automobiles can all be found.
So visitors can enjoy not only Nagoya's industrial
heritage and industrial museums, but may be able toexperience a real job site. On a venue only five minutes
from Nagoya Station are the Toyota Commemorative
Museum of Industry and Technology and "Noritake
Square" (an exhibition, workshops, and commercial
complex).
In 2005, the World Exposition will be held near
Nagoya; the building of the new Chubu International
Airport is in progress. Please take this chance and visit
a renewed and increasingly attractive Nagoya.

2. A Challenge of Misogigawa Co. Ltd., A Private Community Development Company- Community development through rejuvenating local shops, culture and environments in NanaoNami MORIYAMA
MORIYAMA
AMA, Chief Manager, Misogigawa Co.Ltd.
1. Introduction -the City of Nanao and MisogigawaNanao, a city located at the base of the Noto Peninsula, flourished from the Manyo Era (about 1,300
years ago) onward as a major port town; and, today, it
is a central city in the Noto Region. Misogigawa, or
Misogi River, runs through the city's downtown areafrom south to north.
The river has always been very close to the lifeof the people of Nanao. On the occasion of Aogashiwa
Festival, the largest festival in the Noto Region, a number of parade floats line up alongside the river. However, flattening of the riverbed due to subsidence, adecrease in the river flow due to the construction ofdischarge channels, and an influx of domestic wastewater resulted in water pollution. With methane gas
being produced from sludge on the riverbed, the river
has turned into "a smelly ditch."

48,000, was losing its vitality. It missed out on the wave
of motorization. The market area shrunk rapidly andlarge projects like the redevelopment around the station area were struggling. Most of all, the citizens of
Nanao were suffering from a feeling of weariness.
Then the young members of the Nanao Junior
Chamber decided to change the situation. During a
six-class course in the Citizens' University, they discussed the way forward for Nanao and settled on a key
phrase: "regeneration of the port district." Nanao Port,
formerly called "Kashimazu", had flourished as a goodnatural harbor for a long time. Focusing on the port asa resource to regenerate the city, they drafted "theNanao Marine City Plan" and established the Nanao
Marine City Promotion Council to promote the plan.
One high-priority project was the constructionof a fishermen's wharf. With funds from both public
and private sectors, Kashimazu Corporation was established. In 1991, "the Noto Food Festival Market," afishermen's wharf, was opened. The long forgotten ferrypier became a center that attracts 900,000 people every year.

2. Looking back on the History of Community Development in Downtown Nanao(1) As Counteraction to a Crisis
Twenty years ago, Nanao, with a population of
CPIJ News Letter No.21 March.2003

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(2)From the Port to Downtown
The success of the Noto Food Festival Market
injected new life into the stagnant station area redevelopment, and Patria, the first redevelopment building, opened in 1995, providing the city with its second
nucleus. A plan was drawn up to connect the nuclei bya symbol road, pulling in visitors into the existing downtown shopping area. However, next to the site for thesymbol road was Misogigawa, so polluted that it gave
off a stench in the summer. In creating an axis, therestoration of Misogigawa was indispensable. The interested local business people established Misogigawa
Corporation Limited for that purpose.

and its culture. The culture of the community is a direct resource for a shop'. Thus, business entrepreneurs
invest in the town's culture, and in reverse, shops
needed for the town are a part of the town's culture.
Our theme, "Community development through rejuvenating shops" clearly articulates that the culture of local entrepreneurs is supported by the town's culturalcontext.
(2)Community Development through Rejuvenating
Shops
Through the attempts to create and recreate
shops, one thing was felt strongly. That is, "careful
design of shops which clearly articulate given town contexts is one of the most important elements in downtown community development." Some shop owners may
decide to sacrifice their businesses for philanthropic
activities. But if each shop endeavors to enhance its
attractiveness, a greater contribution to the regeneration may be possible.
Interactions that take place in locations called
shops rejuvenate the downtown area. Creating suchshops is the most effective regeneration activity thatbusiness entrepreneurs can undertake.

Aogashiwa Festival(3) Misogigawa Co. Ltd., a Community Development
Company
In June 1999, Misogigawa Co. Ltd. was established as a private company with a capital fund of 50million yen. (Later the fund was increased to 68 million.) All of the eight investors were local people who
had worked for the Nanao Marine City Movement fromthe very beginning. The company now has 6 board
members and 3 staff members. As a private company,
it promotes shops alongside the river, offers consultations on business plans, conducts researches on thestate of the river water, and supports river-related nonprofit organizations.

The first shop, Yoriaidokoro-Misogikan, producedby Misogigawa Co. Ltd. becomes a land mark along
the riverside

3. Community Development through Rejuvenating
Shops(1)The Relationship Between Shops and the Downtown
Community
Misogigawa Co. Ltd. aims to bring back the relationship between people, shops, and the downtown community. In order to bring back a sense of liveliness tothe banks of Misogigawa, emphasis is put first on therelationship between shops and the community.
In the case of an existing shop, the company starts
by questioning the significance of the shop in Nanao,
asking whether or not the shop is necessary for the city.
Especially in the case of a small family business, it isclear that the shop is supported by the town's culture.
In Nanao, shops benefit from the existence of
Misogigawa, Nanao Port, the Hatakeyama Culture
which thrived 500 years ago, and the castle town built
by Maeda Toshiie, a feudal lord. Therefore, the revitalization of the main street will not occur unless
Misogigawa, which fostered the culture of Nanao, isrestored. This explains why the local business people
became involved in the regeneration of the community
CPIJ News Letter No.21 March.2003(3)A Downtown that Fosters Diversified Values
People gather in and bring liveliness to shops thatclearly have a relationship with the downtown community. In such places, exchanges and interactions between people and things, people and people, information and culture begin. Also, the people who gather
there begin to commit themselves to the town. Regenerating such relationships is one of the missions of thecommunity development company.
Why do we place emphasis on "the relationshipbetween people, shops, and the community?" Because
we aim to create a downtown community that could
foster diversified values. The allure of a city depends
on its ability to create diversified values. Inspired by
new people, things, information, and culture, a processof integration and creation will take place. The regeneration attempt of Misogigawa Co. Ltd. is a great experiment in how we can create diverse values throughregenerating the relationship between people, shops,
and the town.
Copyright (C)2003
The City Planning Institute of Japan. All Rights Reserved5