Amagasaki High Line 尼崎ハイライン（立体遊歩道）
Amagasaki’s High Line* is a raised pedestrian plaza, with direct connections to neighboring buildings at sky level, and multiple public stairs and elevators. It runs approximate 1300 feet (1/6 the length of NYC’s High Line), from Hanshin Amagasaki Station (阪神尼崎駅) at the west end to the Amagasaki Cultural Center at the north end. Its total surface area is just over 3 acres. Immediately west of the High … Continue reading Amagasaki High Line 尼崎ハイライン（立体遊歩道）
Kobe: Itayado Arcades (板宿商店街)
Itayado Hon-dori (板宿本通) runs north from Itayado Station, and together with a number of branch arcades, it connects 18 city blocks with a continuous glass roof (with the proviso that Shin-machi-dori is not fully connected, strictly speaking). At ~640 feet long, Itayado Hon-dori is one of the shortest arcades in Kobe. Altogether, this group of arcades has a combined length of only ~1900 feet. And yet, as … Continue reading Kobe: Itayado Arcades (板宿商店街)
Nagoya: Bus Terminal (Oasis 21) 栄バスターミナル（オアシス２１）
“Oasis 21” is an enclosed bus terminal attached to an open-air shopping center. It is located at the intersection of two major subway lines (and the terminus of a third), and is directly connected to the large underground malls of the Sakae area (e.g. 森の地下街、クリスタル広場). It is a “3D” station, with four layers. From top to bottom: A publicly accessible glass roof. This “Spaceship-Aqua” is covered in water, save … Continue reading Nagoya: Bus Terminal (Oasis 21) 栄バスターミナル（オアシス２１）
諸駅網（しょ えき もう）
同名異駅（それよりも連結の諸駅）が複数集まれているの現象は日本では珍しくない。それどころか、同名・連結の諸駅は日本の特徴である。 「三宮駅」って、いったい何を示しているか。「三宮」と言うの駅は、６つもあるよ。 西神・山手線の「三宮」 阪急神戸線の「神戸三宮」 JR神戸線の「三ノ宮」 ポートライナーの「三宮」 阪神本線の「神戸三宮」 海岸線の「三宮・花時計前」 特定の一つの駅ではなく、その連結領域を示したいの場合、いかにはっきり区別できるか。「諸駅網」と言うの用語を提案する。話し言葉で「もろもろ えき の あみ」と言います。 諸駅網の代表的な例： 三宮 梅田 渋谷 新宿 池袋 Continue reading 諸駅網（しょ えき もう）
Kobe: Shinkaichi & Shinsen-ichiba (新開地・新鮮市場)
Green: covered arcades. Orange: slow street (curves have been deliberately added to street to slow traffic). Blue: underground halls and malls attached to subway stations. Stats: Length: 5,450′(from north end of arcade to south end of highlighted slow street). Spans roughly 1/2 the total width of Kobe (from the mountains to the sea). Change in elevation: 60′. The arcades running from Shinkaichi 3-chome to the Shin-Minato canal in Higashiyama-cho have … Continue reading Kobe: Shinkaichi & Shinsen-ichiba (新開地・新鮮市場)
Fractal Order: Organic Cities vs Mechanical Cities
Fractal-like networks effectively endow life with an additional fourth spatial dimension. This is the origin of quarter-power scaling that is so pervasive in biology. Organisms have evolved hierarchical branching networks that terminate in size-invariant units, such as capillaries […] Natural selection has tended to maximize both metabolic capacity, by maximizing the scaling of exchange surface areas, and internal efficiency, by minimizing the scaling of transport distances … Continue reading Fractal Order: Organic Cities vs Mechanical Cities
Sapporo Photo Tour: Raccoon Lane Arcade – 狸小路 商店街
Raccoon Lane (Tanuki Kouji) is a 7 block long covered shopping arcade (全蓋アーケード) in Sapporo. Except for the westernmost block (7-chome), the current structure dates to 1982 (Note 1), and it has been fully covered since 1960 (Note 2). The arcade runs parallel to Odori Park (five blocks south of the park): . The arcade also ties into an underground pedestrian space which runs one mile … Continue reading Sapporo Photo Tour: Raccoon Lane Arcade – 狸小路 商店街
Kyoto Photo Tour: Shopping Arcades – 商店街
Kyoto has a cluster of three arcades. The longest is the Teramachi Arcade, which runs parallel to the Shinkyogoku Arcade, and orthogonal to the relatively short Cupola Sanjo Arcade. East end of Cupola Sanjo: North end of Teramachi Arcade (looking south): North end of Teramachi Arcade – just inside: . South end of Teramachi Arcade (looking north): South end of Shinkyogoku Arcade (looking north, with … Continue reading Kyoto Photo Tour: Shopping Arcades – 商店街
Yokohama Photo Tour: Moving Sidewalk (動く歩道) from Landmark Tower
Much like Ebisu Garden Place, Yokohama Landmark Tower is connected to the nearest train station (JR Sakuragicho) by a fully roofed moving sidewalk. #桜木町駅 #連絡橋 #ランドマークタワー . Although the moving sidewalk is not directly connected to the station, the gap between the two is fully roofed: . . . . . In addition to the moving sidewalk, there are quite a few non-moving sidewalks at … Continue reading Yokohama Photo Tour: Moving Sidewalk (動く歩道) from Landmark Tower
In Depth: Nicollet Mall LRT Station Neighborhood
– South 6th St, west of Nicollet Mall (between Hennepin & Nicollet) – The north side has four eating/drinking establishments, all with outdoor dining (The Oceanaire, Ike’s, Murray’s, and Lyon’s Pub): . The south side of the street is a dismal scene, featuring a totally unsheltered bus stop, and not a single commercial enterprise (the nearby doors to Office Depot are locked): . – South … Continue reading In Depth: Nicollet Mall LRT Station Neighborhood
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