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Edited by: The City Planning Institute of Japan,

No.27 Feb 2007

Kansai Branch
URL: http://www.cpij-kansai.jp/

Urban Renaissance in Osaka
Table of Contents■New Developments toward Urban Revitalization in Osaka City
■ Revitalization of “Osaka, the City of Water”■The Regeneration of Urban Areas Densely Crowded with Wooden Buildings■ Awaji Landscape Planning & Horticulture Academy Leading
Business Education on Landscape Restoration

Toru TAKAHASHI
Naomi KUNOIKE
Yoko SHIBATA
Yue SHEN

New Developments toward Urban Revitalization in Osaka City
-Aspiring for next generation urban development through public-private collaboration
Toru TAKAHASHIManager, Planning Division
Office of Urban Revitalization and Promotion, City of Osaka

Introduction
We are currently experiencing a flow of major reforms, such as internationalization, decentralization andadministrative and financial reorganization. Amid this flow of reform, in order for cities to survive, it is essentialthat they switch from urban development that is focused on the development of space, to urban development
which combines the utilization of the stock of urban facilities with the enhancement of space, and which has
urban functions and concepts that ought to be introduced, such as policies for nurturing industry to support
Osaka’s next generation industry.
This paper describes the current circumstances in Osaka, which is at the center of business in the Kansai
region, and it presents an outline on the question of how the public and private sectors are collaborating todevelop strategies for a new city for the next generation such as the easing of regulations and the enticementof private-sector projects in emergency urban revitalization districts.

Osaka’s Potential
From long ago Osaka has led the economy, being referred to as the “Nation’s Kitchen.” Osaka has
produced many entrepreneurs filled with determination and with very distinctive personalities, and has founded
many world famous companies, including Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) and Sharp. Also, in termsof an education environment, there has been a shift back to inner city areas, not only by national and private
tertiary institutes, but also by satellite universities and graduate schools for adult learners run by public companies that have utilized special zones for structural reform.
The Kansai market is equivalent in size to the Shanghai market, which is at the center of global economic
development, and in terms of GDP, it is comparable to all of Italy (source: “Annual Report on Prefectural Accounts”, the Cabinet Office). Also, as the office building vacancy rate improves, and as it is revealed that there
are places exhibiting upward trends for land prices, we are now in a situation where investment is expected,
particularly in the Kita and Minami areas. The population is also showing signs of recovery, with the inner cityarea posting an increase of 40,000 people in nine years.
In terms of transport, railway and expressway networks are being developed, and a second runway is
being constructed at the Kansai International Airport, meaning that an even greater number of users can be
expected in the future.
Osaka’s Urban Development
The three key elements to urban revitalization(1) Strengthening functions to create intellectual businesses
The key industries are robotic technology, IT (the ubiquitous network technology), and healthcare andpreventive medicine.
(2) Enhancing functions to attract more visitors to Osaka and develop cultural activities
The objective is the utilization of urban stock, such as the “Osaka, the City of Water,” and the “Midosuji
Boulevard”; the utilization of historical heritage, such as the Bunraku puppet theater, for the “encouragement of artistic and cultural activities”; and, above all, the development of business center functions
and cultural/academic functions as well as high-standard housing development in the Nakanoshima Zone,
which is the symbol island of Osaka.
(3) Promoting attractive urban development
As a result of the April 2002 designation of Emergency Urban Revitalization Districts, the public and private sectors have joined forces to expand urban development which has a thematic element of demonstrating regional characteristics while considering free-thinking proposals from the private sector. A new
21st century model in urban development is being promoted, including the leading project, “Developmentof the Osaka Station North District” and the “Knowledge Capital Concept,” which aims to accumulate,exchange and communicate information on advanced technology, culture/art and other fields.

Conclusion
The source of a city’s vitality is its people. In order to produce a rich culture and industry, and in order torealize high-quality life in the city, it is essential that the people who gather, live and work in Osaka demonstratethat creativity. Osaka City aims to achieve a city rich in the accumulation of knowledge, technology and culture.

Revitalization of “Osaka, the City of Water”

Naomi KUNOIKE
Senior Staff
Office of Urban Revitalization and Promotion, City of Osaka

Introduction
Osaka used to be known as the “the City of Water.”Cities with inner city areas surrounded by rivers on all sides is rare the world over. The revitalization of“Osaka, the City of Water” is a key to the revitalization of Osaka.
“Osaka, the City of Water”: recently, this name is being heard more and more.

The Origin of the City of Water
From the 15th century and into the beginning of the 16th century, numerous waterways were excavatedfor the purpose of marine transport and for discharging waste water. As a consequence, from long ago, Osakaearned the nickname, the “City of Water.” In those days, the transport of goods and people was mostly done byboats using canals and other channels, and so these waterways played a great role in the urban developmentof Osaka. A diverse range of goods were transported into Osaka from all over the country, and the city showed
great activity as the “Nation’s Kitchen.” Waterside sceneries of the area were incorporated into ukiyo-e prints
and into literary works, such as those by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, a Japanese dramatist of the predecessor to
Bunraku puppet theater.
However, as we enter the 18th century, there was a shift in the means of transporting goods and people
toward trains and motor vehicles, and this led to a gradual decline in the role of the waterways. In addition,
increases in the volume of traffic and the degradation of water quality created social problems. As a result,many of the waterways were filled in and transformed into roads.
Nevertheless, even today, there are still some 33 watercourses in Osaka City, flowing a total distance of
146km, and occupying approximately ten percent of the total city area.
Waterways are a precious resource, and so a trial is being run to revitalize the area as the “New Water Metropolis, Osaka,” by redeveloping them as an integral part of urban development.

Action for Recreating “Osaka, the City of Water”[Formulation of the Concept to Revitalize “Osaka, the City of Water”]
In December 2001, the Urban Renaissance Headquarters (within the Cabinet Office) established the“Revitalization of Osaka, the City of Water” as one of the urban renaissance projects. A revitalization concept
was formulated that integrated inner city rivers as part of riverside urban development, and the improvement ofriver environments was promoted, starting with the Dotonborigawa River.

The revitalization concept positions the rivers encircling theinner city areas as “water corridors,” and sets as its objective “thecreation of water corridors that reflect Osaka’s history– Sparkle
Osaka, the City of Water.” The rivers in question are the Dojimagawa, Tosaborigawa (Nakanoshima), Higashi- Yokoborigawa,
Dotonborigawa, and Kizugawa Rivers.
The following four key points have been established as basic policies for the “creation of water corridors.”
The Naniwa Tanken Cruise touring down the Dotonborigawa(1) The creation of an attractive riverside
We will proceed with the development of beautiful urban areas to act as the platform for Osaka, the City ofWater. While making use of the distinct characteristics of each of the zones, we will work for ingenuity toraise the attractive nature of water on the high levees, and, in collaboration with the riverside urban development, we will create a living and working environment that takes full advantage of the riverside, including incentives for buildings that face onto the river.
(2) The creation of pleasant riverside activities
Besides promoting the creation of new seasonal events for “Osaka, the City of Water” to be staged along
the riverside, we will also promote the creation of bustling focal points as well as spaces for residents andworkers to meet and relax. By broadly publicizing the attraction of “Osaka, the City of Water,” and byenhancing the systems for accepting visitors, we will conduct a dynamic range of activities to attract
visitors to the area.
(3) The networking of waterways and the enhancement of their appeal
With a focus on water, we will proceed with promoting the image of “water corridors” linked to Osaka’s richhistorical and cultural resources. We will enhance the pedestrian network and those functions joining land
and water, thereby raising the touring element for visitors, and making for a unified attraction. Furthermore,
we will expand initiatives aimed at revitalizing water transport, such as by enhancing the network of watertransport routes and by improving infrastructure.
(4) The creation of a peaceful water environment
The southern Dotonborigawa River Zone is one of Osaka’s foremost commercial areas, and includes
such prominent centers as Namba and Shinsaibashi. Whether it is day or night, this zone is always bustling. There is also a concentration of art and cultural facilities, including the National Bunraku Theatre
showing Kamigata performing arts, in particular Joruri puppet theater and Bunraku puppet theater (whichhave been designated as intangible cultural assets), as well the Shochikuza, the Shin Kabukiza, and theMinatomachi River Place, which presents a range of outdoor events.
Meanwhile, the northern Nakanoshima zone forms a historical space representative of Osaka, the City ofWater. This zone is the location of a group of modern buildings, including the Osaka Central Public Hall,
the Bank of Japan and Nakanoshima Library, as well as many historical and cultural resources, including
Hachikenya.
Among all the initiatives for the revitalization of “Osaka, the City of Water,” the riverside development
along the Dotonborigawa River has been especially placed as the leading project, and it is being pro-

moted aggressively as a project with a high degree of expectation from both inside and outside of Osaka
City.

Conclusion
I believe that the way toward the recreating “Osaka, the City of Water” is to proceed with a diverse rangeof projects while skillfully utilizing the current “appealing resources of the City of Water.”To this end, I believe that, starting with the Dotonborigawa River initiative, it is important to merge therespective potentials of the “river” and the “town,” and then, with the cooperation of all the industry, government,
academia, private-sector and NPO groups in Osaka working together, to revitalize the town of Osaka as a new“Osaka, the City of Water.”I also believe that it is important that there be extensive broadcasting of information by the Council for the
Revitalization of "Osaka, the City of Water," in which the national government, Osaka Prefecture, Osaka Cityand the business community participate, and whose aim it is to recreate “Osaka, the City of Water.”

The Regeneration of Urban Areas Densely Crowded with Wooden Buildings:The case of the Karahori District
Yoko SHIBATADan Environmental Design Institute

1. The Karahori District, where a lot of alleyways remain
While the Karahori District is located in center of Osaka City, it escaped damage during wartime, and so it
is a district that even today remains many narrow streets. During early-modern times, it was a borrow pit fortiles, and since the Meiji era, numerous alley-units were developed. An alley-unit is the set of alleys and row
houses. The alleyways (1.8m in width) have formed a complex network. Small shrines and wells still remain in
the alleyways, and another distinctive characteristic is that there are many stone steps and steep hills –something quite rare in Osaka City. [Photo 1, Figure 1][Photo 1]
Row Houses along a stone paved alleyway; a small shrine by the roadside[Figure 1]
The network of alleyways

Since fiscal 2004, HOPE (Housing with Proper Environment) Zone Projects have been run in collaboration with Osaka City and local councils. The projects focus on renovating townscapes without disturbing thenatural beauty, while making the most of any distinctive characteristics. Several such design control propertiesof row houses or town houses have been completed. [Photo 2][Photo 2] Before and after of design control

2. Issues facing the Karahori District
More than half of the alleys in the Karahori District are no wider than 2.7m. Premises along the alley areproperties without access to a public road, and under the existing Building Standards Law, rebuilding of theseproperties is not possible. For this reason, as the aforementioned efforts for townscape preservation haveproceeded, in recent years, there has also been a diverse range of development in areas around alleys.
(1) Disorderly and discrete improvements to properties in alleyways [Photo 3]
When first developed, ownership of an alley-unit belonged to a single landowner, and the row houses
along the alley were rental houses. However, as time passed, there was an increase in the number of alleys inwhich properties had been sold to the tenants, such that the owner of a building and land also occupied thehouse. In these kinds of alley-units, individual cases of modification can be seen, where major extensions andrenovations, or new houses built without lodging a building-confirmation application have resulted in 3-story
buildings being constructed without being set back from the alley. This has led to disordered townscapes, andhas made it difficult to systematically ensure alley widths and networks.

(2) The apartment buildings development of entire alley-units [Photo 4]
In alley-units whose possession have belonged to the one landowner, the low rent earned from alley-units
relative to the costly inheritance tax and property tax has resulted in a notable trend for entire alley-units to be
developed as apartment buildings. The construction of low-rise apartment buildings in towns with alleys has
not only led to problems in terms of the ambient environment, such as sunshine and a sense of oppression, but
serious community problems have also arisen, such as there being no neighborly contact between residents of
the apartment buildings and the old residents.

[Photo 3]
A 3-story house renovatedwith no setback[Photo 4]
Distant view of a 10-story
apartment building
developed on the site of analley-unit

3. In preparation for regeneration
In search for a resolution to the disorderly and discrete improvements to properties in alley-units, local
councils considered rational systems that would allow for individual rebuilding,. However, under the existing
framework, sites along alleys do not match the reality of the district, namely being without width or depth; andso it is evident that a new Karahori-designed system is required.
Furthermore, enabling individual properties to be rebuilt or renovated, assumes that the alley-unit will beleft untouched; and so, similar to other urban areas that are densely crowded with wooden buildings, we areleft with the issue of improving the capacity to prevent disasters. However, residents show an extremely acuteawareness of disaster prevention – they place buckets of water outside their front doors; they do not place any
flammable items in the alleys; and they make the small doors situated between alleys of such a structure thatthey can be kicked down in an emergency. The fact is that there have been no major fires in the district for
many, many years. Based on the premise that these kinds of conventional methods for preventing disasters
will be carried on. Further examination is needed for urban development that prevents damage from disasters,
and which makes best use of the essence of Karahori.
With regard to the construction of apartment buildings, from the point of view of forming a townscape, thedesign control is possible, but since they are located in an inner city area, the development pressures would begreat, and it would be difficult for the community to share a realistic image of the future as a residential district,rather than as a tourism or commercial district. It is unlikely that the community would even reach the formationof a consensus. Looking forward, and it will be important to first expand the view from the alley to the entire
district, and then to use urban development techniques for the community to think about and share an image
for the future. By going through these kinds of processes, I firmly believe that the strength of the community will
increase, and a new ideal for the regeneration of alley-units that is appropriate for Karahori will come into view.

Awaji Landscape Planning & Horticulture Academy Leading Business Educationon Landscape Restoration
Yue SHEN
Associate Professor, University of Hyogo

The Awaji Landscape Planning & Horticulture Academy (ALPHA) advocates “landscape horticulture,” a
new concept which aims to realize communities where people coexist harmoniously with nature. This year
marks the eighth year since the opening of the academy, and already it has sent out into society more than 100
graduates each with a high degree of expertise. Students at the academy gather from various fields all overJapan, and after having undertaken two years of hands-on education, close to 100% have set out into society
with employment. This is despite the harsh circumstances of recent years, such as sluggish economic conditions and contraction of the construction-related industries. Graduates from the academy have enjoyed praisefrom many different fields, and are currently active in landscape restoration workplaces across Japan. In thispaper, I will introduce ALPHA’s unique educational scene.

1. Formation of the educational philosophy,
as viewed from circumstances behind the establishment of the academy
ALPHA began with Toshitami Kaihara, the former Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, advocating for the establishment of an educational facility on Awaji Island, that would be an institute for practical education andwhich would be concerned with landscape planning and horticulture. At the same time, the academy wasplaced as a key facility in the Awaji Garden City concept. As a new type of educational institute in Japan, by
forming an educational environment, not often practiced in existing universities, where extensive hands-on
education would be provided so as to be able to meet the needs of society, the following three goals were
established: (1) the integration of interdisciplinary fields, (2) problem-solving abilities for the workplace, and (3)Nurturing of students with occupational abilities that meet the needs of clients. In terms of the specific educational technique, a structure was set up comprised of 30 percent lectures and 70 percent practice

2. “Hands-on” being the keyword for the educational focus
With focuses on design and plants, the educational content at ALPHA has been expanded from regional
planning and landscape planning to include a diverse range of topics, including ecological preservation, urban
development with participation by residents, and the construction of traditional gardens. “Practical education”
has not simply meant the learning of technical and vocational skills, but rather an emphasis was placed onlearning about relationships with society. In other words, practical education implies education in which theability to resolve real problems in society is nurtured. For example, under the guidance of their instructors,
students dealt with plans for a community park, and submitted their plan into competitions. As a result, they
were presented a Minister for Construction Award, and they were successful in winning a community grant for
the improvement of parks. The aim of education at the academy is to enhance problem-solving abilities and tocontribute to the further development of community environments by learning through practice. (Photo 1, Photo2)[Photo 1]
Students designed Awaji City’s first park for urban
blocks. Shown here are students carefully examining the model at the construction site.

[Photo 2]
Local residents listening to the proposal for theurban park designed by students. At ALPHA, students can experience the entire design process.
Some of the designed works will actually be developed while the students are still attending theacademy.

3. Education of the select few
There are 22 full-time teachers, instructors and other education staff at the Landscape Planning & Horticulture Academy. This is more than the number of students in either year. The full-time teaching staff areuniversity teachers attached to the Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Hyogo.
They collect information and technology from a variety of fields; they make use of their research achievementsin their respective specialized fields; and they are engaged in lectures and practicals with an emphasis on
solving problems in actual living environments. Another distinctive feature of the academy is that instructors,
each with a rich experience of working in the field, play an important role in the education of skills. Students,
who have undertaken two years of this kind of education, acquire a broad range of knowledge, and are able toreceive fine-tuned instruction from teachers in an environment of small-group education, even for the solving ofspecific problems. The efforts and active involvement shown by former students is testimony to the real talentof students who have gone through this kind of education.

4. Outlook for the future
ALPHA is facing numerous challenges, just as our society is. Against a background of university education reform, there are calls for the development of methodology for Japan’s first problem-solving type businesseducation, which is closely linked to the community and which is always able to respond to changes in society.
The expansion of new education in the development of a beautiful nation is the academy’s mission, and I havegreat hopes for its success.