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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/01/tokyo-anger-plans-redevelop-historic-city-park-meiji-jingu-gaien>
"It is a leafy oasis in a city smothered in paved streets and concrete
high-rises; a mecca for sports fans who flock to baseball and rugby matches at
its two historic stadiums; and a place of tranquility where, while attending a
ballgame in 1978, Haruki Murakami decided to become a novelist.
But if developers and the Tokyo metropolitan government get their way, Meiji
Jingu Gaien, a popular park in the centre of Tokyo, will be bulldozed and
turned into a commercial hub dominated by two skyscrapers, a hotel and new
sports venues.
Built almost a century ago with private donations to honour the Meiji emperor,
the 66-hectare (163-acre) park is a much-loved bolthole for Tokyoites who
stroll or, like Murakami, jog along its paths in the shade of hundreds of
trees, including majestic ginkgo dating back to the park’s birth.
The redevelopment, led by the real estate firm Mitsui Fudosan and the trading
house Itochu, and approved by the Tokyo metropolitan government in February,
will see the construction of two 200 metre-tall buildings and replacements for
the 97-year-old Meiji Jingu stadium – where Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth played
during a US baseball tour in 1934 – and Chichibunomiya stadium, the spiritual
home of Japanese rugby.
According to campaigners, the ¥349bn (£1.9bn) project, due for completion in
2036, will also spell the end for almost 1,000 trees, as well as destroying the
area’s architectural heritage. Jingu Gaien’s fate, they say, has been sealed
behind closed doors, with inadequate environmental assessment or consultation
with local residents.
“This is like building skyscrapers in the middle of Central Park,” said Mikiko
Ishikawa, an emeritus professor at Tokyo University. “Tokyo would lose its
soul.”"
Via Andrea Borgia and Christoph S.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
