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Why do neighborhoods like Harajuku and Daikanyama attract people the way they do? We suspect the answer lies in their combination of upbeat, welcoming open spaces and intriguing "mazes". The open spaces of Harajuku and Daikanyama are Omotesando and the old Yamate Dori respectively. Both are wide avenues positioned away from main thoroughfares, with little through traffic, where one can stroll along broad tree-lined pavements and enjoy open spaces occupied on either side by the work of leading contemporary Japanese architects. The intriguing mazes meanwhile are the narrow residential streets of Harajuku and Daikanyama, and the townscape woven by the street-level stores and restaurants that have spread into them. The question of destruction of the residential environment aside, few things beat the excitement of visiting quirky, adventurous shops and getting happily lost in housing areas that have not been rearranged neatly into grid patterns. Such "open spaces and intriguing mazes" are a universal feature of cities designed for pleasant strolling. While there may be no lack of intriguing mazes in Shibuya today, there is a dearth of open spaces, which is why Shibuya Common proposes making the station and its precincts an upbeat, friendly open area. |
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