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Between Decentralization and Recentralization: Conflicts in Intramunicipal and Intermunicipal Governance in Tokyo's Shrinking Suburbs
[journal article]
Abstract The suburbs of Tokyo Metropolis are experiencing path-dependent, multifaceted shrinkage in socio-demographic, economic, and political and administrative (including fiscal) dimensions. The following two contradictory processes taking place in the opposite direction are at work, namely: the political ... view more
The suburbs of Tokyo Metropolis are experiencing path-dependent, multifaceted shrinkage in socio-demographic, economic, and political and administrative (including fiscal) dimensions. The following two contradictory processes taking place in the opposite direction are at work, namely: the political and administrative decentralization of authority and responsibility (although without much fiscal devolution), and the socio-demographic, economic, and fiscal recentralization of workplaces, residences, and municipal finance. As Tokyo's suburbs confront these contradictory processes of decentralization and recentralization, they fall into the gap between, on the one hand, policies that prioritize the internationally competitive metropolitan center by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and, on the other hand, policies that address the growing problems of lagging provinces by the Government of Japan. These phenomena are affecting radical, but barely visible, changes in public affairs of municipal governments on the lowest tier. We thus examine the emerging modalities of intra- and inter-municipal affairs in Tokyo's shrinking post-suburbs. First, we explore the intra-municipal upheavals, incorporating instabilities and disarrays, of ideas and practices inside a municipal government. Next, we investigate the inter-municipal upheavals that involve oscillations between unification and fragmentation among municipal governments. These interrelated intra- and inter-municipal upheavals hinder the consistency and timeliness of planning and decision-making in the local arena. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of taming these upheavals and creating integrated governance systems by exploiting the emerging sense of the increasingly intertwined future among municipal governments. This is vital to strengthen local solidarity and promote inter-municipal collaborations at scales that can ensure metropolitan and suburban sustainability.... view less
Keywords
Japan; large city; outskirts; urban planning; urban development; local politics; decentralization
Classification
Area Development Planning, Regional Research
Free Keywords
Tama Area; Tokyo Metropolis; decentralization; intermunicipal cooperation; local governance; metropolitan planning; recentralization; suburban shrinkage
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 98-114
Journal
Urban Planning, 7 (2022) 3
Issue topic
The Resilient Metropolis: Planning in an Era of Decentralization
ISSN
2183-7635
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed