Sohee LEE Project Researcher 2009-
Further information available at http://www.csis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~shlee/
Urban Spatial Structure with Minimum Environmental Load
How to achieve a sustainable co-existence between the Earth environment and humans has been a major issue in various research areas. In the field of urban planning, encouraging/enticing the use of public transport, which is seen as more environment-friendly than cars, has been discussed in the form of debates on compact city and TOD (Transit Oriented Development). As part of these ongoing debates, I have been investigating possible ways to convert the existing urban spatial structure into one with less carbon dioxide emission and its impact by focusing on the movement of people for the purpose of commuting which takes place in the special relationship between residential areas (housing) and places of work (office).
Compact Urban Spatial Structure in the Age of Declining Population
Although there have been some chronological variations, cities have conventionally seen horizontal diffusion due to motorization and have experienced a growth period based on industrial development. Major urban problems of this period stemmed from urban development on the premise of its growth and expansion. These problems were typically manifested as urban sprawl and decline of the urban centre. However, cities in Korea and Japan have been recently experiencing a decline in the total population due to a decline in birth rate and a relative growth of the elderly population. As a result, urban spatial structure has gone past the expansion phase and entered into the shrinkage phase. In other words, cities hereafter will not grow or expand, but shrink and decline. The major task now is to identify the problems that this new phase would present and explore ways to manage cities for the future. Based on these concerns, I am interested in research into the quantitative criteria for measuring optimal urban density in order to realize compact urban space structure adjusting to a shrinking city, research activities to find the size of the residential area of elderly people, and the optimal positioning of spatial elements (facilities) which are suitable for their behavioral patterns.