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Divided Tokyo

Disparities in Living Conditions in the City Center and the Shrinking Suburbs

Authors:

  • Includes many empirical studies, which help readers understand the Japanese context
  • Provides a theoretical framework to show that Japanese and Western cases are comparable in terms of living conditions
  • Suggests creating sustainable cities to avoid urban social problems that many Western and Asian cities will face

Part of the book series: International Perspectives in Geography (IPG, volume 11)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Introduction

    • Tomoko Kubo
    Pages 1-17
  3. Growth of the City Center Condominium Lifestyle

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 47-47
  4. Conclusions: Whither the Divided Tokyo?

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 161-161
    2. Conclusions

      • Tomoko Kubo
      Pages 163-170
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 171-174

About this book

This book explores how and why Tokyo has been divided over time in terms of living conditions. First, recent urban discourses that explain the transformation of Tokyo’s urban structure are examined, along with social changes and the expansion of unequal residential conditions within the metropolitan area. Chapter 1 reviews: 1) discussions on globalization, neo-liberalization, and changes in housing policies; 2) debates on the divided city; 3) debates on the shrinking city and the urban lifecycle; 4) discussion of the urban residential environment from a social justice perspective; and 5) family–housing relationships in the post-growth society. Based on the literature review, the rest of the book is structured as follows. Chapter 2 explains the changes in urban and housing policies, demography, and socio-economic conditions. In Chapters 3 to 5, the background and characteristics of the growth of condominium living in the city center are examined. The next three chapters analyze the reality of shrinking suburbs, using case studies to demonstrate the increase in vacant housing and local responses toward shrinkage. In Chapter 9, possible solutions are proposed for dealing with problems related to urban shrinkage and the expanding gap in terms of the availability of investments to stimulate urban development, the residential environment, and the population age structure in Japanese cities by comparing the author’s findings and the literature review. This book provides deep insights for urban and housing scholars, urban planners, policy decision-makers, and local communities that struggle with aging populations and urban shrinkage.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

    Tomoko Kubo

About the author

Tomoko Kubo is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences of the University of Tsukuba, Japan. She is an urban geographer working closely with housing studies. She is the former chair of the Urban Geography Commission’s Young Scholar (YS) Committee of the International Geographical Union (IGU) after winning its 2012 YS Paper competition, and a board member of the Research Committee on Housing and the Built Environment (RC43) of the International Sociological Association (ISA). Her research interests include urbanization and the housing market, urban and housing policy, residential choices under socioeconomic changes, single women’s homeownership, shrinking cities and their revitalization, and aging suburbs in Japan.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 159.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access