Research Trends and Results

Greenbelt planning technologies to respond topopulation decline and degeneration etc. of cities
SONE Naoyuki, Researcher
KIMURA Yusuke, Researcher (Dr. Eng.)UENO Yusuke, Researcher (Dr. Fisheries Science)
KURIHARA, Masao, Head
Landscape and Ecology Division, Road Department(Key words) Population decline, degeneration of cities, compact city, greenbelt planning, basic plan for greenery

1. Outline of the research
Greenery in cities serves as an infrastructure withfunctions indispensable for safe and pleasant city life,
by providing nearby places for rest and recreation,
mitigating the heat island phenomenon throughevapotranspiration of vegetation, and preventing thespread of urban fires. Past administration of parks andgreenbelts has, with top priority on “finding ways toconserve and create greenery as cities continued toexpand”, promoted the systematic provision of parks,
conservation of greenbelts and greening of cities witha basic plan for greenery (Article 4 of the Urban GreenSpace Conservation Act) as the master plan. But,
against the background of population decline anddegeneration of cities, the future will see a demand fora switchover to the concepts of park and green spaceadministration from a broad perspective and to theenactment of greenery plans with this as its guideline,
in order to “realize happy lives for people by urban
development through greenery, even in a society notpremised on growth”.
The Landscape and Ecology Division is, based onsuch problem consciousness, researching basicplanning technologies for greenery in response topopulation decline and degeneration of cities”(research period: 2013 to 2015). In FY2013, thedivision organized existing knowledge from theperspective of responding to new social needs
predicted to intensify in the future and to the functionsof greenery, and at the same time, collected advanced
cases of greenery plans in foreign countries.

2. Organizing the functions of greenery in response tonew social needs
The Urban Reconstruction Strategy Study
Committee1) has, concerning the future of regional
cities, pointed out the appearance of scattered unused
land, more elderly people living alone, and as results,
decline of urban functions, weakening of regional
economic vigor, susceptibility to disasters, etc. In
response to such prospects, based on past research(149 documents), it organized functions of greenery to
respond to hypothetical problems such as, “creatingconditions making life worth living by exploiting
unused land for agriculture” and “promoting longer
healthy lives through the use of parks”. A futurechallenge is to organize points in planning and design
to display various functions.
3. Clarifying green planning initiatives outside Japan
We collected administrative documents fromforeign cities which have already faced serious
population decline and degeneration of cities and havetaken initiatives to resolve these problems, andorganized the contents of plans for the use andtreatment of greenery and open spaces (see the table).
To obtain hints for cities in Japan, it will be necessary
to perform analysis based on background conditions
such as laws and social conditions etc. in eachcountry.

Table. Outline of Cases of Greenbelt Plans in Foreign Countries
City (country)

Plan/Countermeasure

Cleveland (U.S.)

Re-imaging a more Sustainable
Cleveland( 2008)

Philadelphia (U.S.)

Green Stormwater Infrastructure (2011)

Detroit (U.S.)

Detroit future City (2012)

Liverpool (U.K.)

Green Infrastructure Strategy (2009)

Berlin etc. (Germany)

Studtumbau Redevelopment) (2002)

Outline
New plan for strategic unused land to improve sustainability ofcities
Greenery conservation/creation plan aiming to control rainwaterrunoff as a climate change adaptation measure
Plan for the use of unused land to create greenbelts as an urban
infrastructure
Greenery conservation and creation plan focused on economic
values and health and welfare
Reflecting concentration of cities by reducing building floor
space in greenery planning4. Future schedule
It is impossible to consider the functions of greenery inisolation from desirable cities and society. In the future,
we wish to conduct research focused on the future imagesof cities, linked with research institutes in a wide range ofresearch fields and with local governments close to thescene.
[Sources]
Interim Report of the Urban Reconstruction Strategy
Study Committee
http://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/toshi01_hh_000013.ht
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