Current situation of station plaza and future direction

Abstract

Station fronts in metropolises are not only the connection nodes on the road and railway transportation networks but also urban open spaces used by many people. However their qualities are not satisfactory because of chronic traffic congestion, lack of amenities in public spaces, etc. Upgrading of these station plazas is important for improving people's safety, amenity, convenience as well as the quality of their life.

Although these problems can be intuitively recognized, it has not been clarified yet, how many refinements and further developments are needed, or how they can be achieved practically. In this paper, firstly, we summarize the history of station plaza development in Tokyo metropolitan area, and clarify its role and problems. Secondly, the required development volume of station plaza is calculated from the traffic demand and current facilities level. Later, recent progress of technology and legal and administrative systems is explained, and effective development plans of specific stations are discussed considering those progresses. Finally, the problems in development process are summarized and future directions of development system are discussed.