Machizukuri

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Machizukuri ( Japanese ま ち づ く り ) is a Japanese term that can best be translated as “ urban design ”. It was shaped in 1962 by a citizens' movement in Nagoya that protested against the construction of an eight-story apartment building in their neighborhood. Since then, like many other political slogans , the term has undergone numerous changes in its spelling and meaning.

history

1960s

In the 1960s, the Machizukuri was primarily an antithesis to Toshi keikaku ( 都市 計画 ), the centrally controlled urban planning. It was an expression of rejection and protest, the main goal was to preserve the traditional cityscape. In addition to the protest, one of the means was the Machizukuri Funds , which raised money for small local development projects.

Until 1968, all planning competencies were concentrated in the building ministry in the City Planning Act, only then did a process slowly begin which passed on competencies to prefectures and municipalities. The involvement of citizens in the planning process also had to be fought for.

The word Machizukuri was written in its original form 街 づ く り , using the Kanji 街 for district.

1970s

In the 1970s, the first personal initiatives were started to improve the living environment. The focus shifted from protest to cooperative participation, the goal shifted in the direction of local economic development, use of the available resources and preservation of the neighborhood's identity. The workshop was added as a means , at which the committed citizens exchanged ideas with experts and the responsible administration.

The citizens were, however, dependent on the will of the local and prefectural administration, which made it necessary to rethink the Japanese civil servants.

The term Machizukuri was also changed, a different Kanji ( 町 ) with a very similar meaning ( machi ) and the same pronunciation was used.

1980s

In the 1980s the spelling was changed again, now the pure hiragana spelling ま ち づ く り dominated .

The focus changed in the direction of “softer” measures to promote care for the elderly, child care, welfare, social housing and small-scale disaster control.

Progressive local governments began to actively involve citizens in the planning process, for example through surveys and ideas competitions. This worked especially for small projects that directly affected local residents, such as setting up playgrounds. The larger the scale of the planning, the more the effectiveness decreased.

The main problem in the 1980s was the high land prices, which made it very difficult to buy private land for community purposes.

1990s

In the 1990s, the first municipal master plans were developed, in which the participation of the citizens was firmly planned in the drafting.

Machizukuri was also picked up as a buzzword by the construction industry and used in the Rōmaji spelling, i.e. in Latin letters, to give it a modern, western flair.

Problem areas

Machizukuri projects are trying to solve numerous problems that Japanese cities face or have faced:

  • The decline of traditional shopping streets ( Shōtengai )
  • Districts with dense, disaster-prone and partially demolished wooden houses
  • Shading and soil sealing
  • Conversion of industrial wasteland
  • Deficiencies in the road network: narrow streets and dead ends, lack of arterial roads
  • lack of accessibility
  • Needs of an aging population

Projects

Machizukuri projects primarily serve to improve the local living environment and therefore only affect a small area. In the past decade, numerous projects have received subsidies from the responsible Ministry for Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This is important because in centralized Japan local administrations often have insufficient financial resources.

  • Pocket parks are only a few square meters in size, often they only offer space for a single tree. In the built-up cities, they still offer a small island of calm and possible rescue in the event of a disaster.
  • District educational trails help the residents to get to know their area of ​​life better and thus strengthen the population's identification with their residential area
  • A “soft” measure is the training of volunteers for neighborhood help, for example for the elderly and the disabled
  • Local “Machizukuri statutes” regulate the cooperation between citizens and the administration and can contain special regulations, for example for landscape protection or for the uniformity of the cityscape.
  • Monument protection

literature

  • Silke Vogt: New ways of urban planning in Japan . Iudicum Verlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-89129-841-2 .