In the first of Asia in Focus’s urbanism series, Kayden Briskie examines how mixed-use development in Japan has created energetic and diverse cities, and what lessons New Zealand could draw from this approach. Tokyo’s compact and mixed-use suburban neighbourhoods demonstrate how combining residential, commercial, recreational, and even industrial uses can make urban areas more walkable, vibrant, and economically dynamic. Such intensification can also help revitalize high streets, make public transport more efficient, and create affordable housing opportunities.
Despite growing interest among New Zealand planners, several barriers have hindered similar urban transformation. Restrictive zoning rules, bureaucratic planning processes, and a lack of incentives for mixed-use development often limit densification and local business viability. However, New Zealand’s recent planning reform seeks to overcome these obstacles by standardizing land-use zones and permitting denser and more diverse neighbourhoods, inspired in part by Japan’s long-standing approach to urban planning.
Tokyo’s urban form, particularly in fine-grained neighbourhoods such as Kōenji, Shimokitazawa, and Kagurazaka, highlights the benefits of well-connected streets, low-rise mixed-use buildings, and pedestrian-friendly shopping promenades. These areas emerged largely during post-World War II redevelopment, when minimal planning restrictions allowed residential and commercial spaces to intermingle organically. Such mixed-use development supported local businesses, fostered community engagement, and created vibrant street life, although some unregulated development also resulted in environmental and health challenges that prompted Japan’s modern planning framework.
Japan’s City Planning Act of 1961 frames urban development as a desirable outcome, with standardised, highly permissive zones that focus on growth areas rather than strict activity classes. The system allows mixed-use development with minimal restrictions on building height, floor area, or commercial activity, encouraging adaptive and creative urban solutions. This approach contrasts with New Zealand’s effects-based planning system, which assesses development primarily by potential adverse impacts on the environment and community.
While Tokyo’s liberal planning framework has enabled vibrant, fine-grained neighbourhoods, it has also facilitated large-scale, high-end developments that replace traditional mixed-use areas. Projects like Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown illustrate how permissive zoning can lead to significant urban transformation, sometimes displacing existing communities and altering local culture. This underscores the importance of carefully balancing economic growth with community preservation, a lesson highly relevant for New Zealand as it considers planning reform.
Tokyo’s urban experience shows that permissive, standardized zoning can enable both small-scale, mixed-use vibrancy and large-scale redevelopment, with outcomes largely shaped by market forces and investment priorities. For New Zealand, this highlights the potential benefits of enabling compact, mixed-use neighbourhoods while also reflecting on which aspects of local communities deserve protection. Loosening planning rules can unlock urban dynamism, but careful attention is needed to ensure that growth aligns with broader social, economic, and cultural goals.
Kayden Briskie, a housing and urban policy analyst based in Wellington, New Zealand, conducted this research with support from the John McArthur Geography Research Scholarship and the Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Postgraduate Research Grant, examining mixed-use urban development in Tokyo.
