A Study on Pedestrian Decks in Tokyo Metropolitan District. Katsuya Matsunami 1 and Naomi Ando 2 1 Graduate Student, Architecture Course, Department of Construction Engineering, Hosei University, Japan 2 Professor, Department of Architecture, Hosei University, Japan Abstract In 1973, the first Pedestrian Deck (hereafter, PD), an overpass walkway designed for easy access to railway station, was built at Kashiwa Railway Station in Chiba, Japan. After that, not a few PD have been built in these 30years. As PD are often constructed as redevelopment project of densely built-up area, their plane forms are complex. On the complex plan of PD, we can observe various human activities such as road performances, standing talks beside a clock tower or a fine art object, resting acts around a flowerbed, stagnations with leaning on a handrail to see a surrounding scenery. As those activities become every day urban scenes, it is considered that new public spaces are formed around railway stations. 40 kilometers radius field centered on Shinjuku Railway Station, which is one of the hearts of Tokyo Metropolitan District, is surveyed to detect Pedestrian Decks. The characteristics of PD are examined through the various methods. Keywords : Pedestrian Decks, Railway Station, Overpass walkway, human activities, Tokyo Introduction Chiba included in Tokyo metropolitan area have a Pedestrian Deck (hereafter, PD) built in a railway lot of population in Japan and ranked main stations square not only divides the elevated prefectures. So the networks of railway in their walkway in the air from a ground road, but also prefectures also are developed. brings about various activities on PD, and builds more functional spaces by connecting buildings Table1. Population of Metropolis and Districts （ 2006 Version ） around a station together. The purpose of this study Population Population Urban area density(1km 2 ) is to define what a characteristic of PD is by (1000persons) Japan 127,757 343 - searching PD in Tokyo metropolitan area and by recording phenomena there. Tokyo 12,571 5,748 Tokyo Osaka 8,817 4,656 Kinki 1. Formation of a Japanese metropolitan area Kanagawa 8,791 3,639 Tokyo In Japan, there are three big urban areas, Tokyo Aichi 7,254 1,405 Nagoya metropolitan area, a Nagoya megalopolis area, Saitama 7,054 1,858 Tokyo Kinki area in Japan. Above all, Tokyo metropolitan Chiba 6,056 1,174 Tokyo area consisted of it in 6 prefectures of 1 metropolis around Tokyo on this investigation object is a 1.2. Commuting and attending school by train biggest urban area. in Tokyo metropolitan area. The Population density of a Tokyo metropolitan 1.1. Population of main 1 metropolis and 3 area is high as shown in Table1, so parking lots for prefectures in Tokyo metropolitan area companies and schools are limited . As shown in Table1, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Contact Author: Katsuya Matsunami The result, that we took a questionnaire about Graduate Student, Department of Architecture, attending school for 122 students is written to table Hosei University, Japan . 2. The students are 102 first graders and 20 graduate address : students of department of architecture, Hosei Univ. 2-11-1-4-409,shinmatudokita,matudo-shi,Chiba Among 122 people, 94 (about 80%) people use a train for going to school, and other 28 people use a Tel: +81-90-8515-8868 Fax; none E-mail: i06r5349@k.hosei.ac.jp bicycle or foot attending school from apartment of a
single life or the parents' house. chapter. Table.2. shows the 94 students attend school Our methods of the investigation were as follows: changing an average of 2 trains, taking about 1 hour, (1) On spot investigation. by way of 19 stations. In distribution of seat-load (2) Inquiry to the private and the municipal railway time, there are many people of 50-70 minutes companies. seat-load time. In other words, it is common in a (3) Questionnaire. Tokyo metropolitan area to take 1 hour by a train to (4) Internet and other information search. attend school. (1) was carried out for all of the JR stations and a part of private and municipal stations in 2002-2003. Table2. Questionnaire About Attending School In this on spot investigation, we found 42 PD at JR Average Max stations and 18 PD at Private stations. By the Way Station number 18.98 65 answer of (2) from 14 Private companies, 26 PD Route number 2.44 4 were found. (3) was the questionnaires to the Distance in a straight line from 24.74 69.71 people close to us, especially graduate students at Shinjuku(km) Hosei University. By these questionnaires, 27 PD Course distance by train(km) 38.73 99.6 were pointed out. By (4), 52 PD were found. At Seat-load time(minutes) 56.59 130 this search, not only the existence of PD, we could feel various first-hand impressions of the people. Totally, excluding the overlapped PD, the existence 2. Preliminary Search for Pedestrian Decks of 94 PD was verified inside the area of 40km As mentioned above, commuting by train is quite common in Tokyo metropolitan area and towns tend distance from Shinjuku railway station. Fig.1. to be formed around a core of railway stations. shows the distribution of PD. Thus, there is a high possibility that PD become major public space of the towns. However, little discussion about “How PD are distributed” or Shinjuku “What is PD?” has been given. In this chapter, our investigation of PD in Tokyo metropolitan area is explained. We have searched PD within the area of 40km distance from Shinjuku railway station. Shinjuku is one of the centers of Tokyo metropolis. It is the terminal of four JR 1) lines, two Private railway lines and three Municipal (subway) lines. It has the highest number of embarking and disembarking passengers 2) in Japan. There are 28 JR lines, numerous lines of 27 Private railway companies and 4 Municipal (subways and a street car) organizations in the searched area. The total number of railway 0 50km stations in this area counts up to 1239 (355 JR, 686 Private, 198 Municipal 3) ). Fig.1. Distribution Map of Pedestrian Decks While literally, PD is a elevated overpass walkway, the actual forms of PD are various. In 3. Definition and characteristic of PD PD is an overpass walkway, bus terminals and this chapter, at first, we will explain our cabstands, etc. are often arranged under the investigation to find the provisional PD in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and will discuss the definition pedestrian decks. On PD, rest spaces, telephone and the characteristics of PD in the following boxes, benches and plants are arranged. Some have void spaces or roofs. Various activities are observed, such as taking rest, waiting for friends, 1) Japan Railway Co.Former national railway. using cellular phone and so on. By paying 2) The number of embarking passengers of JR attention to these activities, we considered that we lines in one day is reported 747,930 in the year could define PD as “An elevated walkway that is 2005. This number excludes disembarking designed for three-dimensional use of its site and it has certain elements to occur human activities”. In passengers and private/municipal lines. 3) The number of JR-Private or JR-Municipal this chapter, we will examine this definition and clarify the spatial characteristics of PD. transfer station is counted in JR station. The We visited 94 PD and described the actual activities number of Private-Municipal transfer station is that happened there in Fig.2 to Fig.25 . counted in Private station.
Fig.2. Plaza for Lovers Fig.3.A Broken-hearted Girl Fig.4. Do You Have Mind to Sell it ? Fig.5. A Huge Hive on PD Fig.6. Elevated Subway??? Fig.7.Against the Clock Tower Fig.8.An Aerial Walk Fig.9. These aren’t Art Objects Fig.10. He is Hercules Fig.11. Exhibition Charges are Free Fig.12. Singers of the Next Generation Fig.13. What Do You Look at? 3.1 Explanation of activities on PD Fig.8. A d og carried by the owner takes a walk on Fig.2. PD is a plaza that a couple sits down on elevated PD. This is an aerial walk. flower bed and can make love in public. Fig.9. A rt object on PD is considered to be a mark Fig.3. When she lean against PD and look at the to make it rather than art object. scenery, PD heals her broken heart. Fig.10. This is a scene like a boy broke an iron Fig.4. A street vender is hard work. Because it is column as Hercules. very hot on PD in the summer, Fig.11. Exhibition charges of a gallery are free on Fig.5. Art object such as the big hive which gave PD, but the permission is necessary. us gooseflesh skin was put there. Fig.12. Live on PD is prohibited, but depends on Fig.6. A signboard written “Subway” was on power of singer. elevated PD, fast food shop name though. Fig.13. Children looked at the train which arrived Fig.7. F amily waits till the clock tower sounds. next which their mom got on.
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