居場所 IBASHO UNDERSTANDING THE URBAN STRUCTURE OF HOMELESSNESS IN TOKYO AND OSAKA PLAN 820: Japan Planning and Urbanism - Land Use and Urban Design Studio PRATT Professor Jonathan Martin, Ph.D., AICP; Assistant Professor Alexa Fabrega GCPE By Timna Churges Golan; Duane Martinez; Kaila Wilson; Yisha Su 居場所 ibasho UNDERSTANDING THE URBAN STRUCTURE OF HOMELESSNESS IN TOKYO AND OSAKA 居場所, (IBASHO): NOUN. 1. A PLACE TO BE, 2. A PLACE TO EXIST. 3. A PLACE TO BE ONESELF. 2 IBASHO: understanding the urban structure of homelessness in tokyo and osaka PLAN 820: Japan Planning and Urbanism - Land Use and Urban Design Studio Professor Jonathan Martin, Ph.D., AICP Assistant Professor Alexa Fabrega Prepared By: Timna Churges Golan Duane Martinez Yisha Su Kaila Wilson Summer 2019 GRADUATE CENTER FOR PLANNING AND THE ENVIRONMENT : PRATT INSTITUTE : AUGUST 2019 3 居場所 ibasho UNDERSTANDING THE URBAN STRUCTURE OF HOMELESSNESS IN TOKYO AND OSAKA 4 1. Acknowledgments 7 2. Introduction 8 2.1 Research Question 8 2.2 Methodology 9 2.3 Report Structure 12 2.4 Key Definitions 13 3. Background and context: Literature Review on Homelessness in Japan 14 3.1 Homelessness in Japan 14 3.2 Spatial distribution and Materiality 16 3.3 Policy and Public Perception 19 3.4 Support and advocacy groups serving the Homeless 20 3.5 Contemporary opportunities and threats 21 4. The Physical Composition of Homelessness in Tokyo and Osaka 23 4.1 Material Inventory 23 4.2 Physical Composition 27 5. Study Areas (site-specific findings) 30 5.1 Site 1: Yoyogi Park, Tokyo 32 5.2 Site 2: Ueno Park, Tokyo 42 5.3 Site 3: Sanya, Tokyo 52 5.4 Site 4: Kamagasaki, Osaka 60 6. Analysis 70 Bibliography 76 Appendix 81 Observation tool 82 Summarized Data input 83 GRADUATE CENTER FOR PLANNING AND THE ENVIRONMENT : PRATT INSTITUTE : AUGUST 2019 5 居場所 ibasho UNDERSTANDING THE URBAN STRUCTURE OF HOMELESSNESS IN TOKYO AND OSAKA Figure x Timna Churges Golan; Kaila Wilson; Ueda Kanayo, Director of Cocoroom; Duane Martinez; Yisha Su. Figure x Timna Churges Golan; Kaila Wilson; Yuki Tsubasa, Moyai; Yisha Su; Duane Martinez Figure x Yisha Su; Duane Martinez;Timna Churges Golan; Magokoro Yoshihira, Executive Director, Sanya Cafe; Kaila Wilson 6 1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was created to fulfill the requirements of PLAN 820: Japan Planning and Urbanism, a Land Use and Urban Design Studio at Pratt’s Institute’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE). The opportunity to travel to Japan and conduct this research was made possible, in part, through the financial support of the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute. We would like to thank Sensei Jonathan Martin for giving us the opportunity to learn about Japanese urbanism and planning first hand, and for leading this exceptional studio and 2-weeks study tour to Japan. We would also like to thank Sensei Alexa Fábrega for her translation work, which this report relies heavily upon, and for introducing us to the subtleties of Japanese culture. Finally, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our interviewees, who devoted their time and knowledge to teach us about the realities of homeless people in Tokyo and Osaka - Magokoro Yoshihira , the Executive Director of Yui Associates Inc; Yuki Tsubasa, Consultation Service Coordinator/Advocacy Officer with Moyai, Kanayo Ueda, the Founder and Director of Cocoroom; and Kanda-san, Facilities Manager at Cocoroom and a former resident of all four case study sites herein. GRADUATE CENTER FOR PLANNING AND THE ENVIRONMENT : PRATT INSTITUTE : AUGUST 2019 7 居場所 ibasho UNDERSTANDING THE URBAN STRUCTURE OF HOMELESSNESS IN TOKYO AND OSAKA 2. INTRODUCTION “In Japan, private space is seen as so sacrosanct that public space is regarded as profane. Something which belongs to everyone belongs no-one.” (Richie, 1999, p. 38) Informal Settlement, Triangle Park, Kamagasaki, Osaka, 2019. Source: Duane Martinez 2.1 Research question This study investigates the spatial distribution and materiality of homeless settlements in Tokyo and Osaka. By looking into where homeless people live and how, the study seeks to evaluate Tokyo’s and Osaka’s capacity to provide the basic human need for shelter and “Ibasho”, a place to be, to all of its residents. Examining the public manifestations of homelessness in the Japanese urban context allows us to assess how inclusive these cities are and how accommodating their public realm is. Homelessness is a telling case with regards to urban planning because it is in an extreme form/way of urban living, one that relies heavily on public infrastructure and is external to the prevailing socio economic order. In many ways, homeless people put the city’s public space through the hardest test of inclusivity and use. In an act that is surely noticed, but is problematic to officially recognize, homeless people carve out a space of their own from that which is designated to be used by everyone--the streets, plazas, underpasses, etc. They make the city their home in the most literal sense possible, depending on public infrastructure for their basic needs. Homeless settlements challenge both the carrying capacity of the places in which they reside and a fundamental distinction in city planning--the distinction between private property and public space. This distinction is particularly stark in Japanese culture and policy, making the incidences of homelessness in Japanese cities even more interesting to examine as a case study. 8 2.2 Methodology This study employs a case-study research approach. First, through a literature review, it constructed a theoretical base about homelessness in Japan and a proposition with regards to the spatial distribution and materiality of homeless settlements. The literature review informed the selection process of sites/cases and interviewees, as well as the design of a data collection protocol. Data collection for each case was conducted through interviews and direct observations. Direct observations were captured via a site audit tool (see Appendix Figure 2.2.1- Space, Material, and Activity Scan Tool) the research team had developed, as well as through independent notes, sketches, and photography. Finally, the research team reflected upon its observations, conducted a cross-site analysis, and compared its research findings with the initial proposition from the literature review, which led to the development of the cross-case report presented herein. The selected sites of Yoyogi Park, Ueno Park, Sanya and Kamagasaki, were among the places mentioned in the literature review as places with homeless settlements and high concentration of homeless residents. After consolidating the studio’s local research partners, and the team’s interviewees, which confirmed the relevancy of these sites to the team’s research, these four sites were selected. Choosing two parks and two day-labor communities allowed the research team to compare and contrast two out of three types of public spaces which usually serve the homeless population. The third type, which was not included within the scope of this research, is train stations and under- ground malls. These sites are used more during the winter time, and thus, were less relevant for this research which was conducted over the summer. The interviewees: Kanayo Ueda with Cocoroom, Yuki Tsubasa with Moyai and Magokoro Yoshihira with Yui Associates Inc (Yui), were selected in light of their advocacy and support work for the homeless population in Tokyo and Osaka, reported in secondary sources. Kanayo Ueda is the founder and director of Cocoroom, an arts non-profit that operates a cafe, a guesthouse and an open-to-all arts academy that works with Kamagasaki’s homeless and day-laborers. The opportunity to interview Kanda-san, Cocoroom’s Facility Manager and a former resident of this study’s sites, was presented to us during our visit to Cocoroom. Yuki Tsubasa is an Advocacy Officer and Consultation Service Coordinator at Moyai, a non-profit based in Tokyo, providing legal and surveying services that assists homeless people in navigating the Japanese welfare system (Mckirdy, 2019). Rough Sleeper, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 2019. Source: Duane Martinez GRADUATE CENTER FOR PLANNING AND THE ENVIRONMENT : PRATT INSTITUTE : AUGUST 2019 9 居場所 ibasho UNDERSTANDING THE URBAN STRUCTURE OF HOMELESSNESS IN TOKYO AND OSAKA Magokoro Yoshihira is the Executive Director of Yui, a community development enterprise in Sanya in Taito ward, Tokyo. Yui operates two hostels for tourists, one hostel for welfare recipients, and a coffee shop that serves as a community meeting spot. Yui also runs a weekly neighborhood cleaning activity, where along with volunteers they collect trash and chat with the locals as a way to offer practical support, a warm smile and a sympathetic ear (Dayman, 2018). Two of the interviews, with Ueda and Kanda, were held in Japanese and English, simultaneously translated by professor Fábrega. The interviews with Yuki and Yoshihira were conducted in English. Direct observations were conducted with two goals in mind. The first was to observe and document informal settlements in as much detail as possible. The second was to observe and evaluate how the site functions as a public space. Accordingly, the research team designed two observation protocols - independent documentation of physical elements pertaining to the homeless settlements through notes, sketches and photography, and a site audit tool (see Appendix Figure 2.2.1). The independent documentation was done throughout the site visit and the site audit was filled out after touring the site for about an hour. The site audit ranks, and thus measures, how well the site functions as an inclusive public space. It was developed based on the market audit of Project for Public Spaces ((Project for Public Spaces, n.d.), see Appendix Figure 2- PPS Audit Tool), and adjusted by the research team to serve as an audit of any inclusive public space, not just a market, drawing inspiration from the Manchester School of Architecture’ Cultural Spaces and Homelessness design handbook (Peacock, Tovey, Plumley, & Cookie, n.d.).