Learning about Japan`s way of "managing urbanisation in vastly populated and economically expanding cities" was a momentous experience today at second day of first Habitat Summit (Towards Alternative Urban Futures for India). Delivering a keynote address on “MAKING CITIES WORK FOR GROWTH” , Hiroto Arakawa, Senior Special Advisor, Japan International Co-operation Agency spoke in details about how Tokyo which accounts for nearly 25% of the population of Japan has established itself a model of urban transport across the world.
Managing urbanisation was biggest challenge ahead of Tokyo in the time during 1950s-70s. Government strategies were primarily focussed on sustainibility and inclusiveness. Solving congestion and reducing spatial disparity were the prime challenges in this process. By that time Tokyo-Yokohama and Osaka-kobe had emerged has leading twin cities dominating the Japanese rise lead by vibrant economic activities across the pacific coast. Due to the result of the development of these cities that Japan could become nation with second largest GNP after USA for quite a long time. How crucial these cities are to Japan is evident from recent celebration in Yokohama witnessed by me to mark the 150th year of opening of port of Yokohama to the entire world. Whole day Yokohama city was waiting for evening and when all the roads leading towards the main museum located near bridge of Yokohama port were perfectly congested to give you sense that really megacities while in time of celebration can really behave like ordinary cities. But Yokohama could survive that celebration by bringing in lakhs of commuters from Tokyo and other cities due to well meshed metro lines.
Tokyo`s population is 1.5 times that of New York but area is one third that of New York. Considering that London and Paris are much smaller than New York, Tokyo becomes the biggest Metropolitan region of the world. The vast numbers of commuters use the public transportation system at the same time each morning and evening, so railways must provide tremendous capacity to satisfy the demand. Postwar improvements in Tokyo’s railway network have involved continued effort and huge investments, creating a transit system with immense capacity (Table 3). Although the system can handle the demand, there is congestion at times but studies show that there is a limit to what can be done to alleviate this congestion. Integrated Spatial Development Plan of 1962 and New Integrated Spatial Development Plan of 1969 laid the foundation of creating urban policy and infrastructure resources necessary for the expansion of the metro service.
Government`s flexibility to award contracts to private railway developers accelerated the development of Tokyo city itself. Private metro construction companies initiated for large scale infrastructure development around metro station areas, social infrastructure like housing development recieved impetus by these private industries and not least these companies were instrumental in erecting the economical bus transport in the cities being developed around new metro stations. Subways became the focus of most new railway construction in metropolitan areas after second world war. Due to immense expensive subway development, companies borrowed money from local governments causing stalling of the work for many years. Around 1962 central government introduced new subsidy system to lighten the burden of the companies.
Real boost to Tokyo`s suburban metro development got in 1964 when Japan was responsible for successful completion of Tokyo olympics. This year Japan saw the emergence of fastest MagLev train 'Shinkansen' In all these developments, strong leadership role of central government is in addressing the fiscal space is central in solving the problem well before planning became. Once again optimising the role of central and local governments is the key as evident from the subsidies given to provate metro rail developers: one third is given by Tokyo Metropolitan Authority, one third is given by Central Government. The companies greatly increased the value of fixed assets used for non-railway businesses, and the value of their investment securities.
Average distance between two stations around Tokyo is around 0.6 miles. Metro expansion began when population density was low. Due to timely steps taken soon metro became centre of urban attraction and proved to be reason for business of profitability. More through operations linking subways, JNR lines, JR east lines, and private lines have been established since the 1960s in order to minimize the inconvinience for commuters changing trains and to reduce station congestion. Investment in Tokyo`s public transport recieves different types of assistance, reflecting the variety of different operators and conditions. Asistance include subway construction subsidies, low interest and interest free government loans to transport operators, subsidisation of interest payments by private railways and subsidies for new transport systems funded by fuel taxes. These days according to 2008 figures Tokyo Metro made sales up to the tune of $3.8 B out of which they could secure net profit upto $0.4 B.
The highlights of the session were the key points summarised by Prof. K.C. Sivaramakrishnan, Chairman, Centre for Policy Research. The points which are: (i) Whether we want to move people and goods, or move vehicles? (ii) About 20-60% of our country’s population still walks, (iii) Private cars still dominate the
urban mode of transport with 263 cars and 433 two-wheelers being added per day in 2003-04, (iv) the politics of road space allocation, (v) the politics of road space pricing, (vi) the politics of public and private funding where the tax system disfavours public transport, (vii) the politics of mass transit choices, (viii) the politics of route choices, (ix) Phase I of JNNURM: Where 15,260 buses will be brought in, but where is the space? and (x) the politics of real estate and city planning: With inter and intra-city implications. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Further Readings:
1.Haruya Hirooka, March 2000, The Development of Tokyo’s Rail Network, Japan Railway & Transport Review 23
2.Takao Okamoto and Norihisa Tadakoshi, October 2000, Rail Transport in The World’s Major Cities, Japan Railway & Transport Review 25
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