“Tokyo Review special edition 001: History of TOD (1)” TOD ― an ordinary method in big cities in Japan
As a special edition for “Tokyo Review”, I would like to start a series on “TOD.”
TOD is the abbreviation for Transit Oriented Development. This term originally had been proposed by an American urban planner named Peter Calthorpe in the 80’s.
TOD has been defined generally as “a mixed-use community that encourages people to live near transit services and to decrease their dependence on driving.” This concept indicates the guideline for the “Next American Metropolis”. Recently, this term can often be heard in China and other Asian countries as well.
In Japan, however, the concept of TOD had been already recognized as an essential theory of urban development for years. From the 1910’s to the 1930’s, Ichizou Kobayashi had founded an enterprise for railroad construction and real estate development in the Kansai area. This succeeded to become Hankyu railroad company, while Eiichi Shibusawa and Keita Gotou carried out similar projects in Tokyo which had been transferred to Tokyu railroad company. These were the origin of the TOD in Japan.
The business model of the railroad company had been established. The companies purchased land along the railroad wider than required, to develop department stores close to the terminal of the city center, and to created entertainment facilities at the suburb’s terminal station. This model was adopted by each railroad company, and we might say that this business model enabled the enlargement of the urban areas surrounding Tokyo. This supported the centralization to Tokyo and the enlargement of those enterprises in the period of high economic growth.
According to the national census, in the “Kanto metropolitan area”, the population of commuters and schoolchildren coming to Tokyo is said to be about 34.5 million (2010). According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Public Documents based on the 2010 census, the number of daytime workers in Tokyo is 8.17 million, daytime students are 1.78 million, and the population of influx to Tokyo is 2.89 million.
Most of these influx populations use public transportation. According to the data of the Tokyo Metropolitan Environment Bureau comparing the commuters and schoolchildren in the 23 wards of Tokyo, New York City, and the Great London region, the utilization rates of public transportation are 75%, 56%, 47% in order, while the rates of commuting only by cars are 6%, 34%, 40%.
Given such background, the way of thinking about the location conditions of real estate is quite different between Japan and overseas countries. For example, in Japan, advertisements of real estate sales and rental in a big city and its vicinity emphasize the accessibility by public transportation, such as the number of minutes it takes to walk from the nearest station, or the necessity to take a bus or not. Regarding the location of commercial facilities as well, it is a great advantage in Japan’s major cities if it is “in front of the station”. However, it is not such an important factor in large cities overseas.
We can say that TOD is an ordinary method in big cities in Japan.