The Tokyo Waterfront Development area is located in the center of the Tokyo Port and is 5 to 7 kilometers from central Tokyo, as the crow flies. The land was mainly reclaimed between 1955 and 1975 . Most of the land is owned by the Tokyo Metropolitan government and had been left idle with no development activity for advanced urban use until recently.
In the process of developing Tokyo as the center of Japan, the concentration of governmental and business activities in central Tokyo became excessive. The excessive concentration of urban activities in Tokyo created serious urban problems such as long commutes, insufficient housing and a disparity in development between urban and regional areas. These urban problems were further exacerbated by the globalization of Japan's economy, the rapid spread of the information society and the transition to a service economy. Strong demand from the public for urban renewal programs to mitigate these problems prompted the metropolitan government to try to restructure Tokyo into a diverse, multi-nuclei city that balances out residential needs against business needs. To this end, the Tokyo Waterfront Development plan was formulated to create a new subcenter for business activities, as well as to provide a large space for future commercial, cultural, and residential development.
The commuting problem:
The average rate of on main train lines in the Tokyo area in the morning rush hour is 194%. (as of 994)
The housing problem:
Average total floor area of a house in the Tokyo area is 70.43m2
The land price problem:
The price of a new condominium is 5.9 times the average annual income.
(for 70 m2)
Panorama of the Tokyo waterfront deveolopment area (Photo courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Govt.)
(2)Content of project
The Tokyo Waterfront Development area is located 6 kilometers south of central Tokyo and is being developed into the 7th subcenter of Tokyo (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Asakusa, Kinshichou, Kameido, Oosaki are the other six).
The framework for land use is indicated below. The waterfront development area which is 448 hectares in size, is being developed into four distinct blocks, each with its unique features. These are the Aomi area ( 117 hectares), the Ariake South area (107 hectares), the Ariake North area, and the Daiba area (77 hectares).
