“Space Oddity – Fragmented Discourses on Socially Constructed Urban Spaces in Western Tokyo”

Description

This paper focuses on the perception and construction of urban spaces and on how these processes take place in Japan. By analyzing two urban neighbourhoods (Shimokitazawa and Meidaimae in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo) that might seem quite similar on a city map, the mechanics of socially constituted and constructed space are exemplified.
In both areas city planning projects as well as the modification of private railway tracks triggered discussions about how existing (and maybe new) public space should be used and who is entitled to advocate for public space. Inhabitants, shopkeepers and consumers share the streets but perceive the space from different angles and participate in divergent but overlapping discourses.

Period	1 Nov 2017
Event title	VSJF Annual Conference 2017: Rural Japan Revisited: Autonomy and Heteronomy in the Peripheries
Event type	Conference
Location	Wien, AustriaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International