Urban development and land re-zoning in the interwar Tokyo suburbs : the case of arable land readjustment projects in Tokyo and Tamagawa-mura

Abstract

The readjustment of arable land (kochi seiri) primarily means the re-zoning of land in order to increase agricultural productivity. However, arable land readjustment closely resembles land rezoning for housing, and many of the projects of the interwar years that were publicly referred to as the "readjustment of arable land" were actually aimed at housing development. The people of the village of Tamagawa-mura near Tokyo thought along these lines, and carried out such projects from 1924 to 1954. However, zoned residential areas did not immediately appear in Tamagawa-mura. Population increased in the eastern and the central part of the village, in the vicinity of the railroad, but other areas remained typical suburban farming communities (kinko noson). People living in these latter areas were opposed to the readjustment projects, which would decrease their landholdings. City planning by the prefectural government in Tokyo changed the situation. It introduced the view that even if the total land area were to decrease due to the construction of wide roads in accordance with arable land readjustment projects, the village would profit because the value of the remaining portions of land would rise. Residents gradually came to agree with this view, and readjustment was accepted.