Polycentric Spatial Development and Increasing National Wealth

Abstract

This paper examines how to build a polycentric urban structure in Japan from a monocentric structure for increasing the national wealth. First, I analyzed the possibility of how the SCMaglev will change a small city near the station to a core city such as Shinagawa or Nagoya. For example, within an hour 8 million people will be able to commute to and from Iida city in Nagano prefecture after the opening of the SCMaglev. Second, I investigated the trend of commuters in the Tokyo area based on the national census from 2010 to 2015. The results showed that male workers commuting to Tokyo decreased from the Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa prefectures. However, female workers increased from these prefectures to, not only Tokyo, but also other suburban areas. Some cities outside of Tokyo need to have unique characteristics that provides pleasure and attractiveness for increasing the value of real estate.