Rail stations in Japan aren’t just about getting from point A to point B; as Michael Vito makes clear, they are multi-functional community hubs. They support the growth of compact, walkable commercial nodes to the benefit of all nearby residents – not just the ones who ride the train.
“Stations [in Japan] often serve as focal points for neighborhoods. They are one of the most common locations for meeting others. Large department stores and grocery halls built into hub stations are always buzzing with activity as commuters stop to pick up items on the way home”
~excerpted from this post.
The Asagaya Pearl Center Shōtengai (阿佐谷パールセンター商店街) is a 650 meter covered pedestrian shopping arcade […]
The combined access to the JR Chūō Line, JR Chūō-Sōbu Line and Toyko Metro Marunouchi Line—all major commuter routes—and many access points to the dense neighborhood surrounding, illustrate the close relationship between shōtengai and public transit, and their role in forming the backbones of Tokyo’s walkable neighborhoods.
~excerpted from this post.
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Furthermore, as Kamoro has pointed out, “…the street network is in many cases magically denser (as in smaller blocks) in the high density areas around train stations.”
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