TAMA NEW TOWN, WEST OF TOKYO: ANALYSIS OF A SHRINKING SUBURB

Estelle Ducom (1)

1 GC (UMR_8504) - Géographie-cités

This paper aims at analyzing the process of urban shrinkage in the Japanese frame. It focuses on the case of Tama New town, developed at the end of the sixties 40 km West of Tokyo during a period of demographic boom. Nowadays, this ageing new town is representative of Tokyo's shrinking suburb. Criteria of shrinkage are defined and tested in Tama. Thus, it is possible to delimit a form of retraction or shrinkage characteristic of that kind of suburb. As a result, applied solutions are proposed, calling into question a model of urbanization (endless urban sprawl) and bringing to the fore new debates concerning reversibility and sustainability of town planning.

Mots clés: new town; suburb; ageing; shrinkage; planning; reversibility

Domaines: Géographie

Estelle Ducom. TAMA NEW TOWN, WEST OF TOKYO: ANALYSIS OF A SHRINKING SUBURB. 2008. ⟨halshs-00203107v2⟩