More green space in Japanese shopping streets

Purpose

Green space increase in dense urban environments is a recurring goal of contemporary planning and policy making. Nonetheless, there is a need to assess the feasibility of concrete greening implementation in specific contexts. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and discuss the environmental potential of green roofs in commercial neighborhoods with low green rates.

Design/methodology/approach

By studying shopping streets in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, this research focuses on a commercial area featuring narrow streets, mid-rise buildings and a low amount of green space. A 25ha case study area was sampled and investigated from a morphological point of view, based on mappings, aerial photographs and on-site surveys.

Findings

Because of the peculiar morphological characteristics of Shimokitazawa, green roofs are a particularly suitable greening option. If all flat roofs in the case study area were retrofitted with green roofs, green space would increase from 4 to 27.7 percent. Moreover, the area’s carbon footprint would decrease by 2.6 percent.

Originality/value

While maintaining that each location has unique characteristics, the quantification of the environmental benefits of green roofs in Shimokitazawa could be generalized for a number of similar areas within Tokyo and Japan, being a reference for policy making and urban design guidelines.