Center for Global Partnership - Social Science Research Council Policy Forum on the Environment and Climate Change:

Energy Saving and the Reduction of Air Pollution and CO2 Emissions within a City Level Framework March 11-12, International House of Japan

Existing Land Use of Nagoya City

2007

Unpaving Urban Areas

Urban Design Solutions to Environmental Issues

Akito Murayama, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University murayama@corot.nuac.nagoya-u.ac.jp http://homepage.mac.com/a.murayama/
Department of Environmental Engineering and Architecture Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University

2,258,804 (2010.1.1)
Created Using Nagoya City Urban Planning Basic Survey Data

Issues of Expanded and Dispersed Cities

1. Increasing Cost of Urban Infrastructure Development and Maintenance Pressing Government Finances

Frequent Torrential Downpours and Urban Flood Damages

Due to Climate Change?

2. Popularization of Automobile-Dependant Lifestyles Increasing Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emission

3. Urban Development Lowering Various Functions that Land Originally Posses: Water Retention and Ecosystem Functions

Flood Area by Torrential Downpours of Late August, 2008 in Nagoya

20088 (Chunichi Newspaper, September 25, 2008)

Urban Flood in Lowlands

(Chunichi Web, September 3, 2008)

Low Carbon City Initiative in Nagoya City

About Nagoya - The Third Largest City Region in Japan - Population: 2.26 million (February 1, 2010) - Households: 1.01 million (February 1, 2010) Goals to Reduce CO2 Emission - 25% below 1990 Level by 2020 - 80% below 1990 Level by 2050 Lifestyle Visions - Eki-Soba (Station Area) Urban Lifestyle - Nature-Oriented Suburban Lifestyle - Low-Carbon Lifestyle: Innovations in Car, Live/Work and Energy Action Plan to be Developed by March 2011 - Need to Address Effective Urban Design Solutions to Environmental Issues

Eki-Soba Urban Lifestyle Visions of Low Carbon City Nagoya

Nature-Oriented Suburban Lifestyle

Low-Carbon Lifestyle:
Innovations in Car, Live/Work and Energy

Nagoya City (November 2009)

Nagoya City (November 2009)

Sustainable Urban Form (Portland)

Unsustainable Urban Form

Vacant Downtown

(Phoenix)

Low & Spread Out Urban Form

Suburban Housing Development

Exurban Housing Development

Common Solutions Seem to be - Drawing a Boundary of Urban Area (Urban Growth Boundary) - Creating Higher Density Mixed-Use City/Town Centers and Corridors - Connecting Centers with Public Transport Portland Metro (1994)

Creating Attractive Urban Area

Key Elements of Attractive Urban Area - Life with Minimum Automobile Use - Good Public Transit - Good Pedestrian and Bicycle Environment - Street with Vitality - Higher Density - Mixed-Use and Human-Scale - High Quality Housing for All Incomes - Great Public Spaces: Green, Water, Wind Unpaving Urban Area - Safety and Security - Universal Design - Sense of Place and Community - History, Culture and Art - Good Educational Environment for Children - Energy Efficient - and more

Examples of Unpaving Urban Area

Viaduct Removal or Reuse - Cheonggyecheon Restoration (Seoul) - The Big Dig (Boston) - Alaskan Way Viaduct and Central Waterfront (Seattle) - The High Line (New York) - Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris) Other Urban Design Solutions - Green Zoning (Nagoya) - Street Design Manual (New York) - Green Street Program and Innovative Park (Portland) - Green Alley/Roof Programs (Chicago) - The Blue Ring and its Projects (Seattle)

Urban Corridor in Toronto

Nihombashi (Tokyo)
1999: Local residents and businesses formed the Nihombashi Area Renaissance 100 Years Planning Committee to discuss the restoration of Nihombashi river and other issues 2003: Experts, MLIT, TMG, Chuo Ward, Metropolitan Expressway Company began discussion 2005: Chuo Ward established the Nihombashi / Tokyo StationFront Area Machizukuri Committee 2005: Prime Minister Koizumi convened experts to come up with policies by September 2006 2006: Policies recommended

Viaduct Removal or Reuse

1 km

Nihombashi (Tokyo)

Cheonggyecheon Restoration (Seoul)

1958: Cheonggyecheon covered 1968: Viaduct constructed 1991: Idea of Cheonggyecheon restoration discussed by university professors and discussion started 2000-2002: Restoration project plan developed through the series of symposiums 2002.6: Lee Myung Bak became Seoul Mayor, promising Cheonggyecheon Restoration in election 2002.7: Cheonggyecheon Restoration Headquarters established 2003.7: Construction started 2005.10: Restored river opened

Study by experts, MLIT, TMG, Chuo Ward, Metropolitan Expressway Company

Nihombashi River and Metropolitan Expressway Viaduct

Proposal by the Local Community: Nihombashi Area Renaissance 100 Years Planning Committee

1 km

Cheonggyecheon Restoration (Seoul)

Cheonggyecheon Restoration (Seoul)

SSD Research Group, cSUR, The University of Tokyo (2008) "Sustainable Site Design 100 Cases: Acupuncture of Sustainable Urban Regeneration", Shokokusha

Strong leadership and integrated approach in Seoul

Strong leadership of Mayor Lee Myung Bak and strong political support Cheonggyecheon Restoration and Transit System Improvements at the same time: Small impact of viaduct removal without providing alternative route Triangle Governance System to execute the project quickly
Headquarters (within city government): Executive function Citizen Committee: Judicial function Research Team (within Seoul Development Institute): Research function

The Big Dig (Boston)

1959: Central Artery opened 1987: The Big Dig approved (burying CA underground) 1986-1989: Alternatives and a competition 1991: Boston 2000 Plan - a first master plan 1991: Zoning change 1995, 1997: Surface Street Consensus Plan 1998: Boston Plan 2000 update 2001: Boston Central Artery Corridor Master Plan 2004: Viaduct torn down 2005: CA reopened and developments began

1 km

The Big Dig (Boston)

Lack of planning and question of sustainability in Boston

Segregation of engineering work and urban design: lack of planning (weak planning agency) Water leak and ceiling collapse: another vulnerable, unsustainable infrastructure? What will happen after 50 years?

Alaskan Way Viaduct and Central Waterfront (Seattle)

1933: Seawall constructed 1954: Alaskan Way Viaduct constructed 2001: Alaskan Way damaged by Nisqually Earthquake 2002-: Five alternatives carefully studied (Environmental impact assessment) 2004: Reduced to two alternatives: tunnel or rebuild 2006: Central Waterfront Plan based on citizens input proposed by Mayor 2007: Seattle residents vote down both alternatives

http://www.boston.com/

http://www.boston.com/

1 km

Surface

Bypass Tunnel

Participatory planning and politics in Seattle

Aerial

Rebuild

Tunnel

Central Waterfront Plan: Active citizen participation including design workshops and forums Mayor and City Council with different political stances Referendum to evaluate two alternatives independently: No to both alternatives Process too long!

Five Alternatives Studied

Central Waterfront Plan

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/viaduct/

The Highline (New York)

The Highline (New York)

James Estrin/The New York Time

The Highline (New York)

Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

(2002) Projets Urbains en France, Le Moniteur

Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

(2002) Projets Urbains en France, Le Moniteur

Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

Other Urban Design Solutions

Green Overlay Zoning (Nagoya since 2007)

Green Zoning (Nagoya since 2007)

Designated percentage of land parcel must be green (for large parcel) by land use regulation
Nagoya City (2007) Nagoya City (2007)

Street Design Manuals

Street Design Manual (New York)

Green Street Program (Portland)

Green Street Program (Portland)

Tanner Springs Park (Portland)

Tanner Springs Park (Portland)

Herbert Dreiseitle and Dieter Grau eds. (2009) Recent Waterscapes, Birahkuser

Herbert Dreiseitle and Dieter Grau eds. (2009) Recent Waterscapes, Birahkuser

Tanner Springs Park (Portland)

Tanner Springs Park (Portland)

Sidewalk Near the Park (Portland)

Green Alley/Roof Programs (Chicago)

The Blue Ring and its Projects (Seattle)

The Blue Ring: connecting places: THE NEXT DECADE (Seattle)

Olympic Sculpture Park (Seattle) by Weiss/Manfredi

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

Olympic Sculpture Park (Seattle) by Weiss/Manfredi

Learning from Examples

Projects of Unpaving Urban Areas can be effective measures to implement Low Carbon City Initiatives. Viaduct Removal Project has great impact, but is very costly and time consuming, might even have negative impacts to the environment and sustainability. Other urban design solutions are available such as green zoning, street and park designs focused on environment and sustainability , and the incremental development of green infrastructure in urban areas. These solutions are less costly and can be applied to various cities. It is important to have a long-term vision (100 year in Seattle), a short/mid-term strategy (10 years in Seattle) and pilot demonstrative projects to gain support from various actors of society. Projects of Unpaving Urban Areas must not only contribute to the mitigation of environmental issues but also enhance peoples quality of life in cities.

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/