Houses front onto a narrow pathway in Tsukishima, Chuo-ku.

Tokyo is pressing ahead with a 10-year plan to fireproof the older, densely packed neighbourhoods that dot the city.

January 17th marked the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Many of the casualties were caused by fires spreading throughout tightly packed neighbourhoods of wooden homes. A fire that broke out after the quake in Kobe’s Nagata-ku burned for three days and destroyed 4,759 homes.

Suginami-ku

Just south of Asagaya Station in Suginami-ku is a neighbourhood of wooden homes built immediately after WWII. Many are located alongside small pathways and narrow roads not accessible by vehicles. Firetrucks cannot access many of the homes, which means fire can spread easily, placing residents at risk.

Under the Building Standards Act, when building a new home or altering an existing home alongside a narrow road, the land must be set back by 2 meters from the centre line of the road. Ideally all houses along the street would eventually do the same and the road would become 4 meters wide – enough to allow cars to pass through. However, many residents put flowerpots or park their cars on this setback portion of the road, rendering it useless.

In 2015, the local council plan to introduce regulations that would allow for the compulsory widening and levelling of roads. The land would not be purchased by the council, and landowners would not receive any compensation.

The revision may be possible as it is in the best interest of public safety, however, there are concerns that it infringes on private property rights. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), there have been cases where local councils have acquired the setback portion of the land, but Suginami’s plan would be a first.

The head of Suginami Ward said that while the land may be private property, if they do not take action, the roads will never be widened.

Arakawa-ku

Around 60% (600 hectares) of Arakawa-ku is considered to be densely packed with wooden structures. The ward is constructing housing to provide rental accommodation for residents who have had to move to make way for road widening.

From this year, houses that do not meet minimum street frontage requirements may be allowed to be rebuilt if the new structure meets the latest construction codes. Ordinarily, homes on land with a street frontage of less than 2 meters cannot be rebuilt.

Designation of special wards

Approximately 16,000 hectares within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area is designated as having densely packed wooden structures. Within the 23 special wards, 28 locations covering 7,000 hectares fall under this classification and have been recognised as being of extreme risk to residents.

In 2012, the Tokyo government embarked on a 10-year plan to eliminate the fire hazard posed by these areas. Owners in designated zones are eligible for reduced annual property taxes if they rebuild a hazardous home into a fireproof one. They may also be eligible for financial assistance in demolishing older homes. This spring, the city plans to designate 52 zones under this system, covering 2,940 hectares.

Elderly residents

Some of the older neighbourhoods have messy land titles and a number of elderly residents, making redevelopment difficult. A 66-year old resident in a 50-year old home in Suginami-ku said he is living on a fixed pension with his wife and they do not have the money, nor the desire to rebuild their home.

Check your neighbourhood

You can check the fire hazard of your neighbourhood in Tokyo using Google’s Crisis Response Map here. Areas marked in red are Rank 5 (high risk), while green areas are Rank 1 (low risk).

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun, January 13, 2015.

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