Spatial analysis of pot gardens on alleys and their architectural environment in Nezu district, Tokyo

Abstract

Pot gardens on alleys are important for maintaining fine townscapes in densely populated areas where green spaces are limited. Those areas often experience transformations in architectural environment under current disaster prevention measures, which include widening narrow alleys and rebuilding of old wooden buildings and may significantly affect available spaces for pot gardens. We surveyed the numbers of pots and surrounding building types in Nezu, Tokyo, and analyzed their relationship to inform urban planning measures to balance greening and disaster prevention. We found that the pots tends to be located in specific places, including not too much narrow alleys, lack of fence which divides street and building site. We also found that both the oldest and latest generations of buildings have clustered pots.