Urban Planning: The History Of The Development Japan's Industry (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject DD MM YYYY Urban Planning Towards the end of the 1950s, Japan experienced rapid growth which led to an intense concentration of population in the Pacific coast. Consequently, it led to the transformation of Japan which necessitated the need for an urban planning system. Japan borrowed most of the Western planning features with the objective of becoming competitive and influential as the great powers. The significance of urban planning cannot be possibly assumed which is one of the reasons Japan directed huge investments towards the reconstruction of the city. Planning helps in the prevention of the spread of diseases and conflicts. Also, it promotes physical order and during those days, the perception that improving the physical environment would help in overcoming some of the social problems. Since long ago, Japanese Urbanists conveyed great attention to critical urban improvements by ensuring that they attended all international planning conferences. During the Meiji period, the government opened to the West which fostered interaction (Swale). In 1871, the government summoned the Iwakura mission to visit the West and note the urban trends which they later adopted in major cities. They came back with significant incentives which were applied in Japan constructions gradually. The Iwakura mission learned various concepts from the West which were later used during the reconstruction period. Sorensen states, “The post-war reconstruction project of Nagoya is one of the most famous, and one of the best documented” (160). Towards the end of the war, the government settled on reconstruction projects. One of the essential plans was the Nagoya project which virtually covered the entire city. Notably, it had two wide boulevards which were at the centre of the structure. The concept of the boulevards had been discovered during the Iwakura mission. In their trip across nations in the world, they realised various features used in Urban planning. One of the structures that particularly impressed the group was the magnificent boulevards in Paris. Fundamentally, this was one of the best and most beneficial creations. Today, Nagoya is one of the few cities in Japan with a good networking road system. Additionally, it does not present many challenges to residents since there is no congestion of motorists. Japan has narrow roads which Clements identifies as one of the country’s problems. In this regard, it is essential to determine that the streets are similarly narrow. As such, this poses a significant threat to the residents in the occurrence of a calamity or any other emergency. Added to that fact, the spread of disease is likely to be very rapid due to the proximity of residents (Sorensen and Funck 147). A quick overview of Japan’s map will allow one to realise this. One will quickly identify that streets are often devoid as well as the plots being full. Ideally, this trend owes to the fact that the "long linear streets did not provide the formal framework of the organisation in Japan and did not, therefore, support names" (Shelton 36). It is not common to find space between streets unless there is a temple or shrine around. In that case, there would be a name indicating the purpose of the religious premise. By all means, roads in the west are comparatively narrow which leads to congestion. It is usually had to navigate in the cities, especially if a person has a vehicle. The fact that Japan has narrow roads, which are similar to tho...