Tokyo Project Sets Mixed Use 'Benchmark'

16 April 2007 - 7:00am

This report looks at the new Tokyo Midtown mega-development, which the author suggests will become the new standard for mixed use.

"I'm still grinning from so many aspects of the experience - the architecture, the attention to detail, the retail mix, the range of food outlets and the overall effort applied to delivering a project that has become the new international benchmark for mixed-use developments."

"Just over a week old, it feels like it's been part of the neighborhood for a good five years because there are no lingering workmen and somehow the landscape and paving teams have managed to integrate the entire development seamlessly into its surroundings."

"From an urban planning perspective, its entrances to the subway and its sleek koban (police box) are outstanding contributions to the built environment. As part of the greater development, they demonstrate a degree of civic pride that is seldom seen in other cities, where much of the spending goes on the interiors and little is left for areas that won't be revenue generators."

Source: International Herald Tribune, April 13, 2007
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