November_1966 — Page 58

T

HE two themes for the 28th Meet. ing of the International Federation for Housing & Planning in Tokyo were "Transportation Systems and Urban Pattern" and "Housing Stand- ards for Low and Lowest Income Groups in relation to the Natural Level of Economic and Social De- velopment" two very hefty themes, but not too much for this large con- ference to handle. The former was designed to interest mainly the plan- ners and the latter, the architects and representatives of housing agencies.

Some observations were made on the housing theme in the July issue of this journal. It is now intended

upon aspects of

to comment former.

the

--

At the outset we are confronted by a chicken-or-egg type question does the urban pattern determine the transportation system or the other way about? Perhaps this question is a little naive, but it might well be asked in such places as Hong Kong.

Naturally when the urban environ- ment is properly planned transporta- tion is included, but when it is not. as in Hong Kong, the transportation system is ever behind-hand trying to catch up with development which it cannot anticipate. It cannot be blam- ed for the lack of overall official plan- ning. A policy of wait until there is a demand and then fill it, means that not only does provision lag behind. demand, but once committed to a par- ticular form of transport, it becomes almost impossible to change to an- other.

A revisit to Japan after eight years for this conference, brought home this point. The Japanese planners in Tokyo are well integrating their trans- portation planning with their physical planning, and systems appropriate to the new structural form of the metro- polis are being expanded.

Hence we find development of mass transportation systems by suburban railways for commuters, and under- ground railway and overhead free- ways as local and distant cross-town communications respectively. Here a new urban pattern is being evolved in conjunction with a new transporta- tion system.

However, before we get too far along these lines, one of the most im- portant points made at the confer- ence must be brought out

that a

city does not function in isolation but as an integral part of the region in which it is located. This is particular- ly true of Hong Kong where all roads

52

TRANSPORTATION AND URBAN PATTERN

by Professor W.G. Gregory BArch, ARIBA

lead to the "Rome" of the twin-cities of Victoria and Kowloon.

Urbanisation is a natural conse- quence of economic and social deve- lopment and has to be accepted. The natural tendency is for existing cities and towns to expand, and for smaller communities and settlements to change their status to that of towns; often this expansion merges two or urban areas into one, as is tending to happen in the case of Tsuen Wan and Kowloon, one becoming more de- pendent on the other and unable to develop its own functions properly.

New Towns

more

Large primate cities draw into their orbit, much of the functions of their regional hinterland, to their mutual detriment. A strain is put on ser- vices, particularly transportation.

The region needs to be developed as a balanced organism, and urban areas outside the metropolis planned as viable entities. New Towns assist in this process but it is more import- ant that the function they will have to play is clearly determined. If they are to take the load-shedding of other overburdened cities, they must be located out of their "magnetic fields". and provided with all the resources to live independently.

In other words, if they are to at- tract for example industry they must provide facilities equal to that found elsewhere in the region; often in de- veloping countries this means good access to a port.

In Hong Kong it is difficult to visualise the satisfactory growth of new industrial towns, if they are to be dependent on the existing port facili- ties of Kowloon and Victoria. In the case of the new-town proposed for Castle Peak the provision of its own port facilities would seem to be in- evitable, not only for itself but for other new industrial cities; an exam- ple, if but a simple one, of the need to consider urban growth within the framework of a Regional Plan.

Urban patterns will depend first on the role the urban areas will play in the regional pattern and secondly on their growth characteristics.

This means that when consideration is given to the transportation systems of urban areas, it must be done in the context of the desirable regional trans-

portation system. If motorways are an answer, they will influence the urban pattern by a change of traffic orientation, to where they touch tan- gentially (as is now considered desir- able) the edge of the urban area.

It also means the integration of all forms of regional transportation with that of the cities motor, rail, air and sea or water.

The typical modern city has as its core a central business district, which as the city grows, even if subjected to an urban renewal programme, has to meet ever increasing demands for its services, increasing in turn the de- mand for transport. More and more commutors flow in and out of these central areas at fixed times, to ad- minister its services, followed by waves of shoppers and those seeking the aid of the administrative services. This is often aggravated by the pre- sence of industries close to the central area as is the case when the city is also a port.

As cities grow their structure must alter to reduce the movement about the city, and many central business In activities must be decentralised. some cities, the world's two largest Tokyo and London in particular, this is happening to some extent naturally as existing conditions become intoler- able, but more so to the encourage- ment afforded by planning schemes of a regional nature.

In Tokyo, road and rail communi- cations will be centralised at the sub- centre points as has already been mentioned and shopping and business facilities created. The Shibuya sub- centre in Tokyo has already the char- acter of a small city centre.

Good communications within the region will encourage further decen- tralization of city functions, vitalizing new urban areas in other parts of the region.

The principle of shortest distance to city functions which often means shortest distance to work leads to new city patterns, the Ring City for in- stance and the Tangential City. These are more than theoretical forms, the terms being applied to planned deve- lopments of cities such as London and Paris respectively.

All urban areas (except possibly Brasillia) have traffic problems, and the planning authorities must decide whether to accept the urban pattern

Far East Architect & Builder November, 1966