Integrated Development Planning,Supportive Public Policies,and Corporate Commitment: A Recipe for Thriving Major Cities in Aichi,Japan

In spite of Japan’s economic slowdown during the 1990s, major cities in Aichi Prefecture have continued to thrive. Nevertheless, these, and others in Japan, have largely been ignored by Western scholars as successful models of how to maintain vibrant cities elsewhere. As a result, little has been written in English, and few lessons have been learned in the U.S. from urban planning efforts in Japan. From literature research, field observations, and qualitative interviews with 40 local land use and economic development planners in the prefecture, this article chronicles how well integrated national, prefectural, and municipal development planning, supportive public policies, and corporate commitment have produced thriving major cities in Aichi, Japan.