Zhejing Cao

Rail transit is a primary transport mode in Tokyo and has become the backbone of its urban development. Tokyo rail transit networks consist of the subway in the central area, private railways in the suburban area, and Japan Railway (JR) in both central and suburban areas. Prior research revealed that JR has better coordination of transit node functions and station-area development than subway and private railway stations, but how Tokyo's JR station-area development integrates with its network growth is less explored. This work investigates how JR station-area development grows in tandem with network expansion, by revisiting different historical phases. The results show that, in the beginning of the twentieth century, JR connected major urban nodes in both central and suburban Tokyo, and therefore became the skeleton of Tokyo's transit systems. During the post-earthquake and post-war period, central subway and suburban private railways gradually met JR on the Yamanote line, enabling the major interchange stations to develop into urban centers. In the 1960s, JR increased its services to alleviate passenger congestion and undertook grade separation projects to reduce conflicts with road networks. The 1987 JR privatization marked a turning point of massive station-area redevelopment. JR station areas have been transformed from underutilized industrial land into high-density commercial use, and major JR stations were comprehensively replanned for identity and place-making. After a centennial development, JR stations have become important interchange and express-service nodes on Tokyo transit networks with intensive land use and different urban functions. The Tokyo JR case can provide insights for metropolitan cities on how to integrate rail transit infrastructure with station-area development, including matching critical nodes in transit networks with urban functions and high-density land use and connecting these urban functions through express line services.

As the capital of China for 10 dynasties, Nanjing has experienced urban development in parallel to the construction of city wall-canal system for thousand years. However, the historic city wall- canal system which used to be the protective border of the city is now subject to the erosion of public space along it. Thus it leads to many problems, such as culture recession, river pollution, urban flooding due to the malfunction of sewage infrastructure, community segregation on two sides of the city wall-canal system. Accordingly, on urban level, five types of green belts as the green infrastructure are proposed in this paper to re-stitch the city wall-canal system for retarding urban sprawl and restoring historic context. Additionally, eastern water gate area of the city wall-canal system is an important waterway transportation junction and the facility center for water exchange and flood control. On local level, urban surgery is conducted in “ cut-removal-suture-growth” sequence. This paper also probes into the hydrological and urban issues of this area specifically regarding storm water and flood management, rain-water harvesting system as well as urban renewal, thus proposing 3 strategies: the extension of Fuzi Temple shopping center, facilitation of water exchange in eastern water gate area and improvement of community rain-water harvesting. In detail, the community adjacent to city wall is converted into a green public center integrated with shopping malls, community amenities, rainwater harvesting facilities and urban landscape; and the nearby communities are connected to the city wall-canal system by community canal system, green space, walkways, visual channels through the design of softened river bank, pervasive road surface, biotopes, eco-islands, water purification systems and various community activities, which as a whole form the holistic green infrastructure of the storm water and flood management. The key of above strategies lies in the regenerative design of eastern water gate park which constitutes the monitor and adjustor of Qinhuai river in 4 different phases: low water period, high water period, potential flood period, potential heavy rainfall period. On the one hand, the city wall walkways are integrated with water processing facilities including purification pipes, silt sieves, sedimentation ponds, wetland cells, infiltration ponds, oxygen basins, siphon pumps which as a whole control and manage flood and storm water. On the other hand, the archaic beauty and the historic scenes are presented just like the outdoor museum as people are walking down the walkways on top of the city walls. This green archival linkage further connects the communities on double sides to each other in every sense. Based on that, there form nine water processing systems in this area in total by which water confluences into the flood detention area in the nearby wetland park for further sedimentation, bio-purification and supplement to underground water storage.