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KAWASAKI ECO-TOWN

Kawasaki, Japan

Kawasaki City and Kawasaki International Economic Development Office





Kawasaki, an industrial town in the Tokyo metropolitan region, has historically been plagued by severe pollution of air and water. It is the site of Japan’s first Eco-City, a concept merging ecological city planning with industrial lands. In 1997, Kawasaki City introduced the “Eco-Town Project: Environment-Conscious Town Building” plan that applied to 2,800 hectares of reclaimed coastal land. The goal, broadly speaking, is for urban regeneration with a careful balance of environmental and industrial activities. From 1998, Kawasaki embarked on its efforts to make the Eco-Town a reality. By 2004, numerous industries were operating in the Eco-City area, pledging zero emissions and waste reduction. The outcome is a circular, if highly contained, cooperative city whereby materials and bi-products cycle between industries. In February 2020, the city announced its plans to extend its efforts and have zero carbon emissions by 2050 through its decarbonization declaration. 

1997-2007
 6,920 acres
3 ft above sea level
www.kawasaki-gi.jp





tags: low carbon urbanization, government-driven, masterplan, adaptation, mitigation, pollution, waste reduction, Asia, East Palearctic, Temperate Forest

References:


Akira, Umezawa. “An Eco-Town Where Resources Are Reused and Recycled.” Public Relations Office, Government of Japan. August 2020. https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/202008/202008_02_en.html 

Glocal Environment Centre Foundation. “Eco-Towns in Japan -Implications and Lessons for Developing Countries and Cities. June 2005. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8481/Eco_Towns_in_Japan.pdf?sequence=3&%3BisAllowed=

Ministry of the Environment. “2050 Zero Carbon Cities in Japan.” Government of Japan website. Updated July 30, 2021. http://www.env.go.jp/en/earth/cc/2050_zero_carbon_cities_in_japan.html

Rene Van Berkel, Tsuyoshi Fujita, Shizuka Hashimoto, and Minoru Fujii. “Quantitative Assessment of Urban and Industrial Symbiosis in Kawasaki, Japan.”
Environmental Science & Technology 2009 43 (5), 1271-1281. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es803319r

Links:


https://www.kawasaki-gi.jp/