Abstract
This article aims to give an assessment of the impact of deregulation in urban planning.
Until the 1990s many researchers remarked that Tokyo was a less segregated city compared to western cities like New York and London. This was mainly because the Japanese government strongly controlled urban development and planning in Tokyo. In 2001, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi began political reform and it included deregulation of urban planning, which called the Urban Renaissance Policy. Deregulation will weaken the government's influence on Tokyo.The question is as follows: will Tokyo become polarized without the government's restriction?
This article shows two points by analyzing official statistics and business reports from Tokyo's 23 wards. First, the Urban Renaissance Policy has not weakened the Japanese government's influence on the city, nor changed the strong relationship between the government and the national company, though it has weakened the municipality's power to control urban development.Second, deregulation in the Urban Renaissance policy has allowed the implementation of high-rise and large-scale development, and it has accelerated interregional disparities in Tokyo. The Urban Renaissance policy divided Tokyo's 23 wards into two areas, developing central and waterfront areas and undeveloped areas. The data shows that the concentration of urban development, population growth, aging speed, and the growth in average income are all closely interconnected. Population trends and changes in average income have directly influenced the finances of the wards. Tax revenue has declined in wards where aging has advanced and thus policy support has become necessary. In conclusion, deregulation in urban planning has had negative impact on socio-spatial structure of Tokyo.
