Society What other countries can learn from Japanese street design

[Maciamo]

I am subscribed to this YouTube channel called 'Not just bikes' made by a Canadian living in the Netherlands. It's mostly about how to improve cities for bicycles and pedestrians. Usually the Netherlands is a great example in that regard. This time is travelling to Japan and explaining what makes Japanese streets so great, and how they could be further improved.

 

[Maciamo]

I don't think it's really the narrow streets that make Japan's town planning efficient. It's especially the mixed use and the fact that people can go shopping on foot from the home. But that is also true where I live in Belgium. There are even more shops than where I used to live in Central Tokyo: several supermarkets, bakeries, dozens of restaurants, clothes shops, etc. — all within 10 minutes walk from where I live. And that's in the green suburbs, not in the city centre. All the streets in my neighborhood are slow two lanes (one in each direction), but with tree-lined pavements for pedestrians on the side as well as bicycle lanes in some places (not enough though). This means that cars drive slowly, but are also well separated from pedestrians.

Personally what I don't like about the narrow streets in Japan is the absence of greenery. In more upmarket neighbourhoods of central Tokyo like Ginza, Marunouchi or Nihombashi there are a few trees on the wide pavements, but still not very green. Here tree line streets are the default. Unfortunately, as Japanese backstreets are so narrow, there is little room for improvement in that regard. But major avenues could benefit from having more trees.

 

[Lothor]

One innovation in Tokyo that I really like is the 'green lanes', which meander through parts of western Tokyo, particularly Setagaya-ku. They're well designed, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to walk long distances without coming across many cars or traffic lights, and have sufficient vegetation to often trick the mind into thinking that you're not in a huge metropolis.

 

[mdchachi]

One innovation in Tokyo that I really like is the 'green lanes', which meander through parts of western Tokyo, particularly Setagaya-ku. They're well designed, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to walk long distances without coming across many cars or traffic lights, and have sufficient vegetation to often trick the mind into thinking that you're not in a huge metropolis.

Most of them are rivers buried under concrete. But I agree they are nice passages that give some sense of nature and solitude in the big city.

 

[LunaApeg]

The comparison between different countries' approaches to urban planning can provide valuable insights. Have you found any particular ideas from the channel that you think could be applied in your area or even incorporated into your business, like optimizing routes for your cleaning crews?