Local Cultures – Global Spaces

Abstract

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The high rate of urbanization asks cities worldwide to (re)consider their resource consumption, spatial composition, connectivity and quality of life through higher degrees of urban density. A central problem of high density areas, however, is the risk of their lower per person residential space to its people’s livability. This study provides insights into architectures and urban patterns to mitigate this risk, via the case of Tokyo. Tokyo is recognized as a matured case of such challenges, where residential space is limited to 19m² per person, but functions of the conventional home, like eating, entertainment and close social interactions as well as feelings of privacy and belonging are (partly) outsourced from small homes to highly specialized commercial venues – and well accessible through one of the worlds most valued railway systems. The present study classifies such commercial venues as places of a home away from home and investigates the qualities, growing from their close connection to Tokyo‘s transit-oriented development (TOD). To this end, this study utilizes over 80.000 business datasets from industry specific search engines for a GIS-based analytical mapping and further relies on representative field surveys for a typology of venue types of the home away from home. The presented urban patterns illuminate the qualities and challenges of Tokyo’s vernacular and TOD-based network of home away from home venues – and indicates possibilities for conscious modification through planning. As such, it aids in overcoming the limitations high density urban areas impose on residential space and livability.