the loss of the traditional common space

from a gradual private-public connection to a private-public barricade

The Japanese common place is given shape through certain activities. The activities taking place within and around the Kyomachiya are also part of that.

The Kyomachiya have deep sites with strong public connections at their facades. These long and narrow property sites provide opportunities to build structures that have hierarchy in privacy. The commercial activities allow private housing to be more engaged with its surroundings. Most modern developments ignore this interaction with the street and privatize their structures. Front doors of modern apartment buildings are often not accessible from the street. This results in a barricade between the buildings’ occupants and the street.

With the disappearance of the kyomachiya, the public activities associated with it also disappear.*

fig 25. traditional Kyomachiya relating to the street and its activity

fig 26. new housing blocks set back with no connection to the neighborhood

*(Miyake, 2011)

fig 27. the historic townscape under pressure of ‘new’ high rise building fig 28. an example of a new housing block in Kyoto Chapter 2: main consequence of urban renewal - the vanishing of the traditional townscape

a d

b d

f

fig 29. sketch illustrating a street with the combination of high rise buildings and Kyomachiya’s e

(*Miyake, 2011) a

b

c

d

e

f the loss of interconnectivity

High rise buildings often have windows that face directly into neighbour’s home taking privacy away from them.

The surge in modern city development resulted in a considerable loss of connection to the community. The loss of neighbourhood activity can be explained by working and living being separated. There is less social control during the day because everyone is off to work, which raises the fear for criminality.

As a result of fear for criminality, front doors became more private leading to less connectivity between the inhabitants.

High rise development is seen as a predator that takes natural light and ventilation away and causes bad internet connection.

High rise buildings make it difficult to view and experience traditions such as festivals.

Large developments and single-use streets reduce the number of walkable public places and promote the use of automobiles.*

Chapter 2: main consequence of urban renewal - the vanishing of the traditional townscape

These images illustrate results of the loss of interconnectivity. As neighbourhoods become more monofunctional and work and life are separated, there is less social control during the day as the streets run empty between certain hours because everyone is off to work. Less social control results in more fear for criminality.

Traditionally, a Kyomachiya facade manifests openness and soft boundaries. It is these features that allow Kyomachiya residents to be more involved with their surroundings. However, front doors are becoming more private and closed off as a result of less social control and the fear of criminality. On fig. 31 a traditional Kyomachiya with a fence is noticeable, leading to less connectivity between the residents of the neighbourhood.

Moreover, the new high-rise housing blocks contain multi-family houses and are much bigger than individual Kyomachiya houses. When looking at a map of a traditional Kyomachiya neighbourhood, smaller plots and more passages are noticeable. When looking at a newer developed neighbourhood, large high-rise blocks result in bigger and longer streets which again causes loss of interconnectivity and urban porosity.

fig 30. old traditional Kyomachiya house without fence

fig 31. old traditional Kyomachiya house with fence for more safety

fig 32. traditional streets with smaller plots in Kyoto

fig 33. modern streets with big plots in Kyoto

Urban renewal is at the base of the side effect of mass tourism. During the research in this chapter, the consequences of the side effects were analysed more closely. It can be stated that the current highrise typology has the largest contribution to these consequences. They are numerous, far-reaching, visible, sometimes less visible, but above all very tangible. Since the Kyomachiya and traditional values are all tied to the community and its social structure, the consequences on the streetscape are particularly present.

By zooming in on a certain neighborhood and specific street, the precise tensions in the streetscape will become clear.

Chapter 2: main consequence of urban renewal - the vanishing of the traditional townscape

chapter 3 analysis of an urban area