Renovation of Large Housing Areas in Japan: A Study Based on Holistic Approaches

Social imbalance and obsolescence of the built environment has emerged in the large sized housing estates constructed between the late 1960s and 1970s in metropolises of many countries since the housing boom was over. In many European countries, further housing products were produced after the housing demand was shrinking. As a result, a plenty of vacant dwellings were left. Instead, many social minorities moved into these housing areas. The existing inhabitants left away, and it resulted in the shrinking of the local community. On the physical aspects, many house buildings were made of precast concrete panels manufactured in the factories. The similar buildings made of the same manufactured materials generated monotonous landscapes in the housing areas. Such living environment was not familiar with the inhabitants of the housing estates. It concluded that the maintenance of the housing environment was not well managed. In Japan same as European countries, many housing estates in the suburban areas of the metropolises were constructed to solve the housing shortage. Many young families (the first generation of the inhabitants) moved into these housing estates; however, the buildings and size of apartment were very small because the cost and the amount of material of the construction should have been saved to provide a great amount of housing promptly. Therefore, the first generation of the inhabitants of the estates were almost left there because the second generation could not return there with their families because of the size of the apartment. It resulted in generating many vacant apartments. The population were decreasing, and the vitality of the community was gradually lost in each housing estate. The obsolete and old house buildings were usually demolished in Japan. However, the renewal methods under the scrap and built style were criticized as the international society focused on the sustainable development in the 1990s. Around this time some public housing sectors and academy persons began to study how to activate these housing estates through utilization existing building stocks and resource under the context in Japan while referring to the good examples. A single technique or elemental technology for housing renewal using the existing housing stocks has been developed. This study at first puts the focus on the means how to combine and integrate these technologies and proposes new holistic methods for reactivation of the large sized housing estates. Subsequently we try to reorganize proper relations between human settlements and the various service provision for those regions. Our conclusion intends to indicate the importance of the master plan and its execution, where the mass housing estates should be re-organized for the physical and social improvement.