Community Design That Utilizes the History of Waterfront Areas

The Cities of Yanagawa, Omihachiman, Sawara and Itako

Abstract

In recent years, attention is being given to community design that makes the most of the water environment of towns and cities on rivers, canals, moats, waterways, lakes and seas, and the development and revitalization of these waterside spaces. Across the country, various projects to harness the distinctive characteristics of these areas have been promoted vigorously. Examples of such projects include waterfront community design in water-abundant districts such as the valleys of large rivers, and waterfront areas of lakes and sea shores, and community design for cities on water that utilizes the rivers, canals and moats in urban districts. In this paper, the author will treat examples of cities in which community design is taking place that makes the most of their regional characteristics as waterfront areas and their history and traditions related to water, with the aim of grasping their distinctive characteristics.