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The process of redevelopment in Tokyo, Japan, is examined, based on analysis of newspaper articles. Urban dwellers' need for greenery & water caused increased interest in waterfront areas & demands for more receational & leisure amenities. This was followed by the development of high-rise apartments along the Sumida River & Tokyo Bay, a district where the after-hours population had steadily decreased in the postwar era; housing was also sought in industrial areas of the waterfront, resulting in a "loft culture." However, waterfront areas are also attracting attention as potential sites for offices. It is urged that these elements be interwoven in a balanced manner in order to produce an attractive whole. It is also suggested that both advanced waterfront redevelopment projects in foreign countries & Tokyo's rich past as a sea capital be used as models for future development. 1 Map. Modified AA

Tokyo: destroyed by the earthquake of 1923 and again by the firebombing of World War II. Does anything remain of the old city? The internationally known Japanese architectural historian Jinnai Hidenobu set out on foot to rediscover the city of Tokyo. Armed with old maps, he wandered through back alleys and lanes, trying to experience the city's space as it had been lived by earlier residents. He found that, despite an almost completely new cityscape, present-day inhabitants divide Tokyo's space in much the same way that their ancestors did two hundred years before. Jinnai's holistic perspective is enhanced by his detailing of how natural, topographical features were incorporated into the layout of the city. A variety of visual documents (maps from the Tokugawa and Meiji periods, building floorplans, woodblock prints, photographs) supplement his observations. While an important work for architects and historians, this unusual book will also attract armchair travelers and anyone interested in the symbolic uses of space. (A translation of Tokyo no kûkan jinruigaku.)

With the evolution of digital and material technologies, Japanese designers and architects are seeking ways to reverse the wholesale destruction of traditional public space in Japan brought about by industrialisation, automobiles, and Western-style concrete and steel interventions. Japanese public spaces (hiroba, or wide open areas), human-scale spaces traditionally fashioned of warm and renewable materials, are making a comeback thanks to technological breakthroughs in glass and non-flammable woods that allow the expression of highly refined and delicate qualities. Includes an essay by Kengo Kuma and numerous exemplary projects