Routledge - The Making of Urban Japan: Cities and Planning

Explore the historical transformation of Japan through this detailed study of its urban development. During the twentieth century, Japan underwent a massive shift from a rural, primarily agrarian nation into one of the world's largest industrial powers and most highly urbanized countries. This book examines how Japanese urban planning and governance developed in unique ways. While planners adopted various ideas and methods from other nations, Japan created a distinct urban system. The text explains how these patterns of urbanization are tied to the country's specific urban traditions and material culture. Readers will gain a better understanding of the evolution of Japanese cities from the Edo period through to the twenty-first century. It provides a clear look at how the nation's highly developed urban system emerged and how it differs from other developed countries.