New Stage of city planning policies

Abstract

City planning policies of Japan, up to this day, have been made very reluctant to regulate land development effectively with consideration for economical activities. Recently based on a primitive idea of decentralization, cities were given local-zoning authorities to prohibit constructing huge complex facilities of shopping or amusement in 1998 and 2000. However, cities could not afford to execute them decisively almost at all. New law in 2006, therefore, gives prefectures another zoning authority and admits to intervene in the process of cities' zoning decisions from a wide-area point of view. Whether the new scheme works is not sure, but it is necessary that further effective law-executing systems should be invented and introduced so as to realize “sustainable citises” in Japan.