Sustainable Commercial Urbanism in Japan
Hiroshima’s Shopping Anatomy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22018594 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Carlos J L Balsas (0000-0002-4714-9879, University of Ulster, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Urban Planning (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2183-7635 • E-ISSN: 2183-7635 |
| Publisher | Cogitatio (PUBLISHER • PT) |
| DOI | 10.17645/up.11258 |
| OpenAlex | W7125705315 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 70 |
Commercial inner‐city areas in many Japanese cities and towns have experienced urban decline due to changes in the country’s retail system and suburbanization processes. Commercial urbanism attempts at regenerating those areas have included the creation of arcades covering relatively central segments of main streets and alleyways. Various levels of government and members of the civil society in Japan have also developed urban revitalisation strategies to encourage the preservation of such districts. What is the extent and effectiveness of some of the urban revitalisation strategies aimed at helping to regenerate city centres and to endow cities with a variety of commercial offerings? The article examines evidence of sustainable commercial urbanism practices in Hiroshima prefecture via the examples of a covered arcade (also known as shotengai ) in the city of Onomichi and a suburban shopping centre in Higashi‐Hiroshima. The research methods comprised reviews of specialised literature and public policy documents, visits to both retail formats before the Covid–19 pandemic, visual inventories of shopping environments, and discussions of economic, environmental, and community forces. Extensive desk‐based research was conducted during the organisation of Urban Planning ’s thematic issue on sustainable urban regeneration in Japan (2024–2025). It is argued that the urban planning system together with community development practices ought to be responsible for ensuring the authenticity and vibrancy of successful urban and suburban shopping districts in Japan. Within the broad field of Machizukury studies, this article sheds light on a Japanese idiosyncrasy: the country’s attempts at promoting sustainable commercial urbanism and the co‐existence of multiple shopping formats
Downtown · New Urbanism · Suburbanization · Sustainability · Sustainable community · Sustainable development · Urban planning · Urbanism · Global Urban Networks and Dynamics · Japanese History and Culture · Urban and spatial planning
International Perspectives on Suburbanization
Japan — A Modern Retail Superpower
Urban Humanities
Contemporary Urban Japan
The growth of commerce in medieval Japan
Transforming a Central Tokyo Park Into a Cutting‐Edge Commercial Complex
Place attachment and identity in shrinking cities
The impact of high-speed rail on the trajectories of shrinking cities
Exploring Practical Treatment Assignment Rules for Place‐Based Policies
Rethinking Gentrification and the Right to the City
Studying Japan
Marketing and Consumption in Modern Japan
Autopoiesis and Cognition
Creative Revitalization in Rural Japan
Planning and the problem of evil
Community Social Sustainability
Lessons from good and bad practices in retail-led urban regeneration projects in the Republic of Korea
Do shopping centers abate the resilience of shopping streets? The co-existence of both shopping venues in Ankara, Turkey
Inclusive urban regeneration approaches through small projects
Learning from an adaptive resilient local street
Re-imaging the City Centre for the Middle Classes
Platformization's Elsewheres
Treasure Hunts in Rural Japan
Tracing the history of Japanese commerce and consumption from the Genki to the Heisei era
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |