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About 10 km northwest of the Ikebukuro urban center is a unique urban landscape:
a mix of farmlands, detached housing, apartments, and condominiums in an ongoing
urbanizing area (Fig. 4.18). Typical urban sprawl results in the mix of land use and
vulnerable infrastructure. Toward the edge of the urban area is a mix of unmanaged
buildings and vacant plots caused by population decline and aging (Fig. 4.19).
But, not all urban areas in Tokyo are grey. Master-planned urban (re)developments
and the installation of skeletal infrastructures are found in existing urban areas.
Okata and Murayama (2011) describe Tokyo’s urban form more in detail.
4.3.4 Japanese Urban Planning System
The Japanese urban planning system consists of four elements: (1) master plans
for city planning areas and municipalities; (2) land use regulations (area division
and zoning); (3) development of urban infrastructure such as roads, parks, water
works, and sewage systems; and (4) urban development projects such as land
readjustment and redevelopment (see MLIT (2003) for the details of the Japanese
urban planning system). It should be emphasized that urbanization often progresses prior to formal urban planning and development under such a system
because urbanization was rapid. The illustrations of urban planning and
Fig. 4.18 10 km NW of Ikebukuro urban center
M. Yokohari et al.