Progress on the Tokyo Bay Marine Park and Waterfront Green Space Plan—October 1975

Progress on the Tokyo Bay Marine Park and Waterfront Green Space Plan—October 1975 The Marine Park and Waterfront Green Space Plan was a concept born out of the challenge of how to ensure the coexistence of ports, industrial zones, and recreational spaces for urban residents amidst the waterfront development of the 1970s. The document states in the October 1, 1975 issue, “Marine Park Ordinance Finalized… Tokyo Metropolitan Government,” indicating a movement to utilize the Tokyo Bay coastline not merely as reclaimed land or port facilities, but also as parks and green spaces. This initiative arose against the backdrop of the fact that the waterfront areas of major cities, including Tokyo Bay, had long been dominated by factories, warehouses, port facilities, and expressways. During the period of rapid economic growth, logistics and industrial production took priority, leaving the waterfront as a space distant from the general public. However, as pollution problems and the deterioration of living environments became more severe, there grew a growing awareness of the need to reclaim spaces where urban residents could reconnect with the sea. The significance of marine parks lies in the reevaluation of reclaimed land and waterfront areas as environmental resources. By developing green spaces, parks, promenades, and plazas in waterfront areas, it is possible to create recreational spaces that take advantage of the sea breeze and the open feeling of the water’s surface. Furthermore, by placing green belts between industrial and residential zones, they function as buffer zones that mitigate noise, dust, and visual pollution. Furthermore, the waterfront green space plan was also significant from the perspective of urban disaster prevention. Large parks and green spaces in waterfront areas have the potential to serve as evacuation sites and supply collection points during disasters. In large cities where it is difficult to secure sufficient open spaces within the urban core, the public use of waterfront spaces was linked to disaster prevention planning. Moreover, this concept extended beyond Tokyo Bay to other major urban waterfronts, such as Osaka Bay. Documents from the period reveal a vision for a “large green belt along the 180 km of Osaka Bay,” introducing the idea of developing the entire waterfront as a continuous green corridor. This was a grand plan that went beyond the development of individual parks, aiming to reorganize the entire coastline as environmental infrastructure. In this way, the marine park and coastal greenbelt plans were policies aimed at reclaiming the waterfronts lost to industrialization and restoring them as living spaces for citizens. The fact that these plans sought to reconcile port development and environmental conservation through green spaces and parks, rather than pitting them against each other, clearly reflects the characteristics of urban environmental policy in the 1970s.