Meiji Jingu Gaien is undergoing a wave of large-scale redevelopment.
The greenery in the city center has been protected for nearly 100 years by our predecessors with strict regulations. Who broke the seal on development and why? Find out more about the circumstances that led to the redevelopment. (Titles omitted)
Series ④[Fuseki]2012~
The rebuilding of the National Stadium was a stepping stone to the redevelopment of the Gaien.
In 2012, when former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Tokyo Metropolitan Government executives met, the rebuilding movement finally began in earnest.
◆“Create a plan for the entire district” when considering rebuilding
In March, two months before Junichi Yasui, an executive at Tokyo’s Urban Development Bureau in charge of redevelopment, and others met with former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, the first meeting of a panel of experts to discuss plans for the future of the national government was held in Tokyo.
A meeting of experts was held in March 2012 to discuss the rebuilding of the National Stadium. November 2013 in Minato Ward, Tokyo.
“I think it’s not just a matter of rebuilding, but a plan for the entire Jingu Gaien area.”
Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who attended as one of the committee members, made the appeal.
Mori, also a member of the committee, responded. “Mr. Ishihara’s story is important.”
At the meeting to discuss the rebuilding of the National Park, remarks were already made in anticipation of the redevelopment of the Gaien Gardens.
◆Lifting the ban on heights of 15 meters
The following April, Yasui attended the National Reconstruction Working-Level Meeting.
“We want to make it possible to plan cities in stages.”
On this day, Yasui said this from the beginning.
Former National Stadium being demolished in March 2015 in Shinjuku, Tokyo
In order to protect the scenery of the outer garden, the Tokyo metropolitan government designated the entire area as a scenic area, and the ordinance did not allow buildings over 15 meters in height. When bidding for the 2016 Olympics, the main venue was moved to Harumi because it was considered impossible to do so in Kasumigaoka (National), which has many regulations such as the City Planning Act.
Lift the ban yourself. Through changes in urban planning and deregulation that made it possible to build high-rise buildings. There was no hesitation in Yasui’s tone.
◆ Zaha proposal approved as “ultimate deregulation”
The Tokyo metropolitan government has already declared the redevelopment of the sports facilities in the Gaien as part of its long-term plan, “Tokyo in 10 Years.” Deregulation had become the default course for the Tokyo metropolitan government.
In July 2012, before any changes had been made to the city plan, supporting the idea of “deregulation”, we were soliciting designs for a new stadium aiming to be “the world’s best” with a standard of “70 meters or less in height”. has begun.
Ichiro Kono, chairman of the Japan Sports Council, and Tadao Ando, chairman of the jury (both at the time), presenting Zaha Hadid’s work that won the top prize at the National Stadium Design Competition = 2012 November 2017 in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo
As a result, British architect Zaha Hadid’s plan for a giant stadium that would reach 70 meters in height was chosen.
The following year, in 2013, the Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed Zaha’s plan and designated the area as a “Redevelopment Promotion Zone,” and the height restriction was suddenly relaxed to 75 meters.
Redevelopment Promotion Districts are a system that relaxes regulations on land that is not being used for integrated redevelopment, and is also called the “ultimate method of deregulation” (Ryotaro Iwami, professor emeritus at Saitama University).
◆They said that the guidelines needed to be expanded and interpreted…
The country created the original system during the bubble economy. The main objective was to increase the land supply by making it possible to redevelop salted land near the city center in order to resolve the land shortage caused by the rapid rise in land prices.
It is envisaged that the system will be used on sites such as former factories and railway yards, and a former Ministry of Construction official who was involved in the design of the system pointed out, “Gaien is a clearly different place from what was envisioned when the system was created.” do.
Even the Tokyo metropolitan government, which has regulated development to protect the landscape, was aware of the difficulty of applying this to outer gardens. This is because the Tokyo metropolitan government’s study materials from September 2011 stated that “if applied, the interpretation of operational guidelines would need to be expanded” and “the hurdles are high.”
Later, Communist Party member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Council, Satoru Harada, asked in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, “Was this an expanded interpretation?”, but the Tokyo government responded by saying, “The national guidelines are just examples.”
Harada said, “This highlights the Tokyo metropolitan government’s willingness to do whatever it wants to redevelop the area, even if it means going to great lengths.”
◆Former Prime Minister Mori was reluctant to withdraw the blank paper.
Shortly after winning the long-awaited bid to host the Olympics, Zaha’s plan became controversial.
Architect Fumihiko Maki criticized the project, saying it would “destroy the scenery of the outer garden,” and a protest movement arose. This raised the current question of whether it is okay to subject the Gaien to large-scale development.
Prime Minister Abe announces plans to review the new National Stadium after meeting with former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori at the Prime Minister’s Office on July 17, 2015.
In the end, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to withdraw the plan, citing soaring construction costs.
According to government officials, Abe was easily convinced by the revised plan after receiving an explanation from administrative staff.
It was the forest that resisted. When we reviewed our plans, we realized that the national stadium would not be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup, which we had been focusing on. “Mr. Abe went to try to persuade me two or three times,” he said.
◆“Relaxation of regulations for the national government” throughout the Gaien area
The revised design was designed by architect Kengo Kuma and was kept to a height of 47 meters.
The new National Stadium, completed in November 2019, in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, from the headquarters helicopter “Ozuru”
Behind the scenes of the rebuilding scandal at the National Park, preparations were being made for a major remodeling of the Gaien.
This is because, even though the restrictions were relaxed for the national government, the area where they were relaxed was spread across the Gaien district, including Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
“I knew something was going to happen, but I had no idea that a skyscraper like this was being planned.” Tomoko Ohashi, an architect who called for a review of Zaha’s plan, leaked the information.
After this, the Gaien district benefited from deregulation for the national government, and skyscrapers that surpassed the national government began to appear one after another.
(This series will be written by Tomoyuki Morimoto, Makoto Nakazawa, Chiharu Ichikawa, and Eriko Oshikawa)
[Related chronology]
March 2012A panel of experts was established to consider the future plan for the National Stadium.Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Governor Shintaro Ishihara are also members.
AprilAt the National Reconstruction Working-Level Meeting, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Officials Declared Deregulation of the Gaien District
MayTokyo Metropolitan Government executives explain redevelopment plans to former Prime Minister Mori
JulyNew national design open call with the condition that the height must be 70 meters or less
NovemberZaha Hadid’s giant stadium plan chosen for National Stadium rebuild
June 2013The Tokyo Metropolitan Government applies the “Redevelopment Promotion District” to the Gaien District.Building height restrictions relaxed from 15 meters to 75 meters
SeptemberTokyo bid decision for 2020 Olympics
July 2015Prime Minister Shinzo Abe withdraws Zaha plan
DecemberKengo Kuma’s idea chosen as the new national design
November 2019New national government completed
March 2022Height restrictions in the Gaien area will be further relaxed.Raise up to 190 meters
2024-02-01 21:00:00
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