From Megastructure to Megalopolis: Formation and Transformation of Mega-projects in Tokyo Bay

The Tokyo Bay is characterized by one of the highest concentrations of megaprojects in Asia. However, the tradition of mega-project development in this region can be
traced back to the megastructural movement in the 1960s from which it drew inspiration
in planning and design. From the megastructural movement in the 1960s to the ongoing
mega-projects in Tokyo Bay, there has been a marked evolution in planning concepts and
urban development strategies. Underlying these changes is the substantial transformation
of economic patterns and social ideologies that occurred as Japanese society entered the
post-industrial era. To examine the formation and evolution of urban design ideas in Tokyo
Bay, this paper focuses on two epochal mega-projects, Tange’s 1960 Tokyo Bay Plan and
the Yokohama Minato Mirai 21, and compares them in terms of their socio-economic
objectives, planning approaches, relationships between architecture and infrastructure and
the notion of symbolism embodied in the project. Through the analysis, it is argued that
these mega-projects were both instruments and products of the major socio-economic restructuring of the time. They represented an idealistic effort to create total environments
that serve as model cities of their eras.