RETHINKING THE PARK IN THE CITY

Case study: Transformation of Miyashita Park in downtown Shibuya, Tokyo

Aya KUBOTA

The concept of '"the park" in the city' has served as a tool for accepting the contradictions between legal systems and reality. Thus, such parks have continually undergone transformations. Because parks are public, they are expected to be permanent, non-construction sites; however, the reality is different. Miyashita Park in Shibuya was built on a scattered piece of land that became occupied by the homeless community, which was later redeveloped and managed by a private operator on a 30-year fixed lease. Urban parks have the potential to secure Liberty from law related to human rights and democracy that the cities seek.

Keywords : Park, Liberty, Legal System, Miyashita Park, Open space, Homeless , , , ,

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Project Prof., Dept. of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering The University of Tokyo, Dr. Eng.

RETHINKING THE PARK IN THE CITY

Case study: Transformation of Miyashita Park in downtown Shibuya, Tokyo

Aya KUBOTA

The concept of '"the park" in the city' has served as a tool for accepting the contradictions between legal systems and reality. Thus, such parks have continually undergone transformations. Because parks are public, they are expected to be permanent, non-construction sites; however, the reality is different. Miyashita Park in Shibuya was built on a scattered piece of land that became occupied by the homeless community, which was later redeveloped and managed by a private operator on a 30-year fixed lease. Urban parks have the potential to secure Liberty from law related to human rights and democracy that the cities seek.

Keywords : Park, Liberty, Legal System, Miyashita Park, Open space, Homeless , , , ,

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Project Prof., Dept. of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering The University of Tokyo, Dr. Eng.

RETHINKING THE PARK IN THE CITY

Case study: Transformation of Miyashita Park in downtown Shibuya, Tokyo

Aya KUBOTA

The concept of '"the park" in the city' has served as a tool for accepting the contradictions between legal systems and reality. Thus, such parks have continually undergone transformations. Because parks are public, they are expected to be permanent, non-construction sites; however, the reality is different. Miyashita Park in Shibuya was built on a scattered piece of land that became occupied by the homeless community, which was later redeveloped and managed by a private operator on a 30-year fixed lease. Urban parks have the potential to secure Liberty from law related to human rights and democracy that the cities seek.

Keywords : Park, Liberty, Legal System, Miyashita Park, Open space, Homeless , , , ,

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Project Prof., Dept. of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering The University of Tokyo, Dr. Eng.

「都市における『公園』」の再考事例研究：繁華街・渋谷における宮下公園の変容

RETHINKING THE PARK IN THE CITYCase study: Transformation of Miyashita Park in downtown Shibuya, Tokyo

窪 田 亜 矢＊1

Aya KUBOTA

＊ 1　 東京大学大学院工学系研究科　特任教授・博士（工学） Project Prof., Dept. of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Dr.Eng.

日本建築学会計画系論文集 第86巻 第781号，1001-1011， 2021年3月J. Archit. Plann., AIJ, Vol. 86 No. 781, 1001-1011, Mar., 2021

DOI https://doi.org/10.3130/aija.86.1001【カテゴリーⅠ】�

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Sanada, J,: The Meaning of Parks and Open Space as a Theoretical Background of the Planning of Tokyo Park System, Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan, 40(3), pp.247-252, 2005.10(in Japanese)

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Tahara, M.: Why did 'the stream in spring' disappear? -History of urban rivers by the Shibuya River, Korejio Publication, 2011. (in Japanese)

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Jeon,H., Ohara, K., Otaki, K.: A Study on the Community Based Settlement of the Homeless -Based on the participatory research in Sibuya-ku, Miyashita-park, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering (Transactions of AIJ), No. 565, pp.183-191, 2003.3(in Japanese)

Kimura, M.: Privatization and Protest of Commons: On the Gentrification and Homeless Movement in Shibuya, Space, Society and Geographical Thought, No.22, 2019(in Japanese)

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Nagahashi, T., Dohi, M.: The Impact on Homeless People of the Park Management Policy of Tennouji Park, Osaka City, Journal of Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture, 59(5), pp.213-216, 1996(in Japanese)

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RETHINKING THE PARK IN THE CITY

Case study: Transformation of Miyashita Park in downtown Shibuya, Tokyo

Aya KUBOTA 1

1 Project Prof., Dept. of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Dr.Eng.

From the time of birth, the concept of '"the park" in the city' has ever served as a tool for accepting the contradictions between legal

systems and reality. Thus, such parks have continually undergone transformations. Because parks are owned and managed by the public

sector, they are expected to be permanent, non-construction sites; however, the reality is different. Miyashita Park in downtown Shibuya

in Tokyo Prefecture, Japan, was built on a scattered piece of land, and it has witnessed rapid changes. The periods of change of this park

can be divided into five categories: (1) The Meiji era, when the feudal system changed to modern times, and the concept of parks was

born; (2) 1953, when the park was first completed; (3) around 1964, the time of Tokyo Olympics, when a parking building was built on

the ground, and the park was moved to the top of the roof; the park then was occupied by a homeless community; (4) around 2011, when

sports facilities were installed in the park, and spatial and temporal closures became the norm under the normal operation by the local

government because it had to manage the facilities; and (5) 2020, when the park was redeveloped and fully privatised; further, the park

will now be managed by a private operator on a 30-year fixed land lease. Another Olympics has brought the opportunity to redevelop

and redesign parks.

The concepts such as possession, ‘no-man's land’, indifference, publicness and open space have been discussed by many philosophers,

urban researchers, social scientists and constitutional scholars. In summary, urban parks have the potential to secure Liberty from law. If

we need human rights and democracy, we have to realise them by securing places for them, namely the park in the city. Therefore, we

have to preserve such urban parks; however, this is a great challenge. As seen from the example of Miyashita Park, at one point of time,

homeless people occupied the park, and subsequently, the local government, with the support of local residents, evicted them using

urban development projects legally with private companies; both events should not have happened. A system of conservation officers in

natural conservation areas and play-leaders in play-parks can provide insights into maintaining urban parks. The only way to build such

a system is through the practice of defending ‘the park in the city’.

RETHINKING THE PARK IN THE CITYCase study: Transformation of Miyashita Park in downtown Shibuya, Tokyo

Aya KUBOTA＊1

＊1 Project Prof., Dept. of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Dr.Eng.

（2020 年 7 月 10 日原稿受理，2020 年 12 月 2 日採用決定）

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