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> What's the end game with this? Identikit cities with little to no character, all created to prioritise convenience. People say this but Tokyo preserves _way

by rtpg 1y ago

> What's the end game with this? Identikit cities with little to no character, all created to prioritise convenience. People say this but Tokyo preserves _way more_ weird subculture stuff and small stores than other major cities IMO, despite constant rebuilding. My theory is basically that because it's nice and dense, and the real estate is extremely liquid by my understanding, stores and restaurants can get their 100 superfans that support the business. Like I moved to Australia a couple years ago and I have no idea how anyone could afford to open a small independent shop, and you see loads of chains. Tokyo it's harder than before, but places like these shopping arcades offer some respite (along with other shopping centers). I am worried that the Tokyo government isn't particularly interested in preserving these places though. They have openly said they want more places to be redeveloped like Ginza of all places.

wiedelphine 1y ago
A lot of the new redevelopment that is going on is in areas where the Tokyo Metropolian goverment have relaxed/suspended the old zoning laws etc, hence the fact the new development is all big high rises, and more identitkit than previous development stuff. So is it more of a concern than it was historically
ZenoArrow 1y ago
> People say this but Tokyo preserves _way more_ weird subculture stuff > I am worried that the Tokyo government isn't particularly interested in preserving these places though You're basically agreeing with me. The fact that Tokyo has interesting places now doesn't mean it will in the future.
- rtpg 1y ago
  Fair enough. I think that the attitude of the government has shifted but not by _that_ much, and I don't think we can discount the past 50 years of urbanism as having no effects (plenty of the stores I'm thinking about aren't 100 years old after all). But I won't pretend to believe that we can't have nice things taken away from us. I don't know how we get new Nakano Broadways in the current environment.

by rtpg 1y ago

wiedelphine 1y ago

A lot of the new redevelopment that is going on is in areas where the Tokyo Metropolian goverment have relaxed/suspended the old zoning laws etc, hence the fact the new development is all big high rises, and more identitkit than previous development stuff. So is it more of a concern than it was historically

ZenoArrow 1y ago

> People say this but Tokyo preserves _way more_ weird subculture stuff > I am worried that the Tokyo government isn't particularly interested in preserving these places though You're basically agreeing with me. The fact that Tokyo has interesting places now doesn't mean it will in the future.

rtpg 1y ago
Fair enough. I think that the attitude of the government has shifted but not by _that_ much, and I don't think we can discount the past 50 years of urbanism as having no effects (plenty of the stores I'm thinking about aren't 100 years old after all). But I won't pretend to believe that we can't have nice things taken away from us. I don't know how we get new Nakano Broadways in the current environment.