Uzo Nishiyama’s planning methodology based on investigations of common people’s lives

Abstract

Uzo Nishiyama is known as a founder of dwelling science in Japan. He argued for establishment of dining rooms separate from sleeping rooms. This theory was derived from substantial investigation of ordinary houses in the 1930s. Nishiyama also made important accomplishments in town planning, and holds a unique position in Japanese urban planning. He established methodology to analyse urban situations from compound viewpoints on social phenomena, including domestic and overseas socioeconomic conditions, infrastructure development, and local government administration. In the case of urban problems, epistemology and policy theory are inseparable. Nishiyama saw that it was important to improve the planning ability of citizens to overcome negative conditions in Japanese cities; to this end, it was necessary to create a platform of ‘Image Planning’. Although Nishiyama shifted to a more bottom-up approach in the late 1960s, he continued to believe that the order of living space was brought about by the accumulation of the lives of common people. Today’s frontline urban planning researchers have developed theories under the influence of Nishiyama’s ideas, as his emphasis on quality of life has gained a high reputation.