RESEARCH FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AND ACTIVE PLANNING METHOD IN AN INDUSTRIAL-RESIDENTIAL MIXED AREAFOCUSED ON OTA CREATIVE TOWN VISION IN OTA WARD, TOKYO

Abstract

Recently in Japan, the urban environment in industrial cities has been changing due to changes in the industrial, economical, and social structure. Ota Ward in Tokyo has small industrial districts, some of which are mixed-use areas. In the 1980’s there were 9,000 factories, but currently that number has been decreasing and although the factories still possess sophisticated skill-sets, their working environment is inadequate as it is
surrounded by too many residential dwellings. In addition, it is too difficult to pass technical knowledge onto succeeding generations. In this research, we focus on a comprehensive and active planning method, specifically, on how to integrate manufacturing, community development, and city promotion so as to solve this kind of problem in mixed residential-industrial cities. Firstly, we investigated the local resources, which consisted of a small industrial network of a “mixed-used†status in Ota Ward that had access to an international airport. Secondly, we created a vision  encompassing these three points: (1) Stock (property) management, (2) Supporting Creative Industry, and (3) City Promotion via Industrial Tourism.Currently two projects are in progress: One is the industrial tourism event, “Ota Open Factoryâ€, which is a one day program where many restricted access small factories are opened to the public in the mixed-used industrial area; and the other is “Creative Town Lab. Tamagawaâ€, which is an active community space (usable for education, workshops, meetings, exhibitions, events) that has been converted from a vacant factory.With these projects, we are trying to realize the area’s potential through activities, recreating a more creative and active city culture and identity.