TRANSITIONAL SPACE The observation of transitional spaces involved tracking the dynamic routes and speeds of movement by various users. Given the complexity of these movements, the group had to mostly rely on photographs and videos, rather than the use of the matrix, in order to document observations made in transitional spaces. Often times, major and minor routes could easily be delineated within a transitional space based on presence of obstacles like curbs, barricades or street plantings, while speeds of movement were instead predetermined by age of user or transportation devices like wheelchairs and bicycles. As expected, in transitional spaces, it was observed that pedestrians’ major walking routes followed paths of least resistance. Common resistance for pedestrians include extended shop stands on sidewalks, street furniture, cyclists and large crowds of people. As for speeds of movement, adults aged 35- 50 were observed to move quickest in transitional spaces, while the elderly aged above 65 were observed as slowest. Compared with cyclists of course, pedestrians moved at a slower speed in all transitional spaces, at an average of 2.5 - 3 mph. These varying speeds in turn influence the routes taken by various users. Cyclists move fast on the main road beds and on wider sidewalks that are designed to accommodate cyclists. Meanwhile, secondary users, the pedestrians, choose routes depending on that taken by cyclists. The ever-changing and dynamic routes taken by users in transitional spaces was an exciting observation to make. This is best demonstrated in the following case studies of Waseda-Dori and Ookayama Station roundabout.
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Waseda Dori Kagurazaka Waseda Dori is one of few temporary pedestrian zones in a local practice known as “hokousha tengoku”. The term which directly translates as “pedestrian paradise” aptly describes Waseda Dori on Sundays and holidays when the main street is closed off from traffic from 12pm to 7pm. During these times, the main users of this transitional space include pedestrians and cyclists from all age groups. Once home to a vast number of geisha houses in the early 20th century, Kagurazaka is now more famous as a shopping district. Its streets are lined by restaurants, cafes and boutiques that continually attract tourists, young adults and families throughout the year. The area is also characterised by narrow streets and alleys, or rojis, and is located on a slope by the Kanda River. Rojis began disappearing when many were destroyed in the second World War. Since then, intense urban growth continued to deplete these narrow alleys with larger and taller developments taking over Tokyo. The rojis that still remain in Kagurazaka remain only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, and contain a mix of uses--from bars and restaurants to architecture offices and private households. Fortunately, the traditional atmosphere of the rojis and its pedestrian-friendly environment is somewhat preserved by the “hokousha tengoku” practice on Waseda Dori and various other shopping streets in the area. 24
JAPANESE PUBLIC SPACE: SOCIAL OBSERVATIONS | PRATT PSPD 2015
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Observations
The pedestrianised Waseda Dori invites large numbers of pedestrians and cyclists on a Sunday afternoon
Following lunch and a tour of the rojis in Kagurazaka on June 14th, 2015, the group conducted field observation on nearby Waseda Dori. The weather condition at the time of study was noted as: “sunny” and “partly cloudy”. A wide range of users were observed at the time of study, ranging from toddlers aged below 5 to elderly above the age of 65. The street was most crowded at the start and end points of the pedestrianized zone. This was due to stoplights that brought pause to the movement of cyclists and pedestrians entering and exiting Waseda Dori. The large numbers of users observed at either ends of Waseda Dori abated as the group continued walking deeper into the street. Given that there were no stop lights within Waseda Dori at the time, and no vehicles on the road beds, pedestrians and cyclists harmoniously moved through the transitional space, moving back and forth between stores, sidewalks, and road beds. There was a common understanding between all users to slow down in pace, and to be welcoming to sudden and rapid changes in directions of other users’ movements. The regular linear route normally observed in transitional spaces was not seen by the group on Waseda Dori. Instead, routes resembled wavy, zigzag patterns across the street. The varied routes taken by the users of Waseda Dori were largely driven by great numbers of interior commercial spaces such as cafés, restaurants, and department stores- a trend highlighted re-
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peatedly by Manabu (2010). The attraction of various commercial stores on both sides of the street resulted in pedestrians moving across the space, with only a minority of runners and cyclists moving down a linear path on Waseda Dori. The street also had another unique feature - sitting/ resting spots were only observed on the edge of sidewalks. The unique public seating arrangement encouraged private storeowners and all other users of the space to also establish the edge of sidewalks as places for pause in movement. On Waseda Dori, public seating was individually- arranged, and placed on the edge of sidewalks, right by the curb. Likewise, in front of several grocers, informal seating in the form of individual stools was set up. While the individual arrangement of seating at the edge of sidewalks seemed strange to the American eye, it appeared to allow for actively moving users to easily weave between those users at rest, endorsing the dynamic back and forth movement of pedestrians on Waseda Dori. The individuals observed on the individual stools and public seating were often seated backs facing each other and engaged in a private activity like “using a mobile device” (Appendix A). Even within such a dynamic and noisy transitional space, these resting individuals manage to maintain a sense of quiet and privacy for themselves. The lack of interaction in the ‘resting zone’ at the edge of sidewalks contrasts with the louder and more communicative storefronts and roadbeds. Evidently, Waseda Dori’s unique practice of “hokousha tengoku” has invigorated the movement and flow of its users, even if only on Sundays. The atypical dominance of pedestrians and cyclists on roadbeds definitely pays homage to the more traditional roji that is fast disappearing today. 26
JAPANESE PUBLIC SPACE: SOCIAL OBSERVATIONS | PRATT PSPD 2015
Male users of the space sit with backs facing each other on the sidewalk
With pedestrians dominating the roads, the emptied sidewalks informally transformed into resting zones
Ookayama Station Roundabout Relative to pedestrians on the street, vehicles were lower in volume.
Located in a transitional neighborhood, between wards of Meguro and Ota, the vehicular roundabout fronts several local landmarks such as Ookayama Station, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyu Hospital. The three very different buildings--train station, university and hospital--influence the types of users of the transitional space greatly. While the hospital attracts a large number of elderly and disabled users, the university attracts a younger demographic of youth aged between 20 - 34. Both these dominant groups of users, travelling inbound and outbound, converge at the roundabout or the local transit hub of Ookayama Station. Pedestrians and cyclists harmoniously shared major routes on sidewalks.
Like most other streets in Tokyo, the roundabout at Ookayama Station is well outfitted with tactile paving for the blind and drop curbs for bicycles and wheelchair users. This makes movement and flows of users within the space very easy and quick. Observations
Majority of pedestrians passing through the transitional space were observed resting under the shade of trees fronting Ookayama Station
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JAPANESE PUBLIC SPACE: SOCIAL OBSERVATIONS | PRATT PSPD 2015
Following a late morning lecture at Tokyo Institute of Technology, the group conducted a field observation of the roundabout fronting the university entrance from various crossing points. The weather condition at the time of study was: “partly cloudy�. Many cyclists were observed at the roundabout, moving in a multitude of directions. The breaks in their movement occurred at all four corners of the traffic intersection and these breaks were timed at about 1.5 minutes each. Cyclists were mostly seen entering each of the landmarks, the smaller commercial alleys to the north and east of the roundabout, and finally the large bike parking space in front of Tokyu Store Supermarket.
Likewise, pedestrians made several stops at landmarks and other clinics adjacent to the roundabout. Given this proliferation of medical facilities, it is not surprising that the elderly and disabled patients constitute the large number of users of the public plaza and benches located outside of these medical facilities. The comfortable and inclusively-designed benches that were low in height accommodated this weak part of the population as they sat enjoying bento lunch or waited to be picked up at the roundabout. Also the contextually-sensitive design of Tokyu Hospital with its green facade provided a cooling effect on the asphalt- and concrete-dominated environment of the roundabout. Like in the case of Waseda Dori, the users of this space responded positively to the natural landscape by choosing to sit under canopy of trees and close to the green walls of Tokyu Hospital. Finally, vehicular movements observed on the roads were mostly outward in direction. Vehicles barely made breaks and moved seamlessly through the space. With the exception of a taxi stand located outside Tokyu Hospital, vehicles did not make stops longer than 5 minutes. As a result, once again, this transitional space is dominated by pedestrians and cyclists who take control by lingering and commanding street crossings.
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Elderly The elderly and disabled population in Japan is unsurprisingly high as the nation continues to experience a rapidly aging population. As the healthiest people in the world, with one of the world’s highest life expectancies of 84 years (WHO, 2013), Japan is home to a large population aged above 65. As a result, it is important that the infrastructure of public spaces accommodate this unique population group and encourage social interaction amongst them to improve mental health in the late stages of life.
Following the group’s field observations in Tokyo and Kyoto, public spaces in Japan can be said to be better adapted to the physiological needs of the elderly and disabled, compared with the US. In particular, transitional spaces such as streets, sidewalks and bridges accommodate those wheelchair-bound, visually-impaired, or suffering from musculoskeletal diseases to navigate with the aid of tactile paving, sidewalk railings, drop curbs and soundscapes. Most importantly, the elderly and disabled were observed to respond most positively to street plantings and all other elements of nature in public spaces. Often, they would seek shade under trees of parks and playgrounds to nap, sit, or sketch. Others would touch and smell bushes of flowers or even hang on the the trunk of trees for support along roadsides. Collectively the infrastructure in public spaces of Tokyo and Kyoto enable the elderly and disabled to be outdoors and interact with each other and with other demographic groups.
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