Kohoku New Town: Yokohama’s Green Up Plan and management of neighborhoods environment 2

 

Kohoku New Town, approximately 2530 ha, was once typical traditional hills, valleys, farming communities and forests of Tama Hills. From downtown Yokohama, it’s in only 12km distance. Even from downtown Tokyo, it’s sitting within the 25km radius. There was no reason to leave rural forests as such especially during the high-growth era of Japanese economy, 1950-1970. In 1965 the then-mayor of the City of Yokohama, Socialist Kazuo Asukata, announced the development plan of the area as a part of post-war reconstruction design for the City. The northwest forests of the City, bordering with Kawasaki City, was designated as “Kohoku New Town” and polished as housing area which was a mixture of high-rise condos and detached houses. To make the place attractive, the government promised the area municipal underground services and a new route of Metropolitan Expressway. The reasoning for tons of public expenditure was “to stop unplanned housing sprawling in Megalopolis Tokyo.” I think the original intention of the planner was successfully met. Roughly demarcated area by Tokyu Den’entoshi Line and two lines of Yokohama Municipal Subway System is now a typical suburb of Tokyo with a nice Prefectural high school (Kawawa High 県立川和高校), strategically located good parks, and shopping centers of laid-back atmosphere. Yokohama-Aoba IC in the New Town serves as an interchange and exits from Metropolitan Expressway and Tomei Expressway, the two main arterial motor roads of Metropolis Tokyo.

There must have been a very high-level politics for Kohoku New Town during the early days of Japanese post-war period in the 1950s. The landlords of the place agreed to sell their property for the development, which was news, I guess. One of the landlords of the area was a descendant of Samurai who was famous in the 16th century Yamanashi Prefecture. He had really a VAST land of the area. After the deal, the samurai offspring became VERY rich and concluded his life as an owner of a small and cute flower shop in front of Tsunashima Station. He once said to his acquaintances, “Now I don’t have to work for all my life. But doing nothing is not good for my health. Flowers are pretty.” He did not have to care for profitability et al. Oh, so enviable life … Now there is no flower shop by his offsprings in Tsunashima. In any case, Kohoku New Town is one of the most affluent areas of Yokohama. Naturally, those who bought and developed the land want to keep it as such, I mean, “a rich place of the City of Yokohama.” The people thinking along this line include the City of Yokohama.

Kohoku New Town near Center-Minami Station

In 2024, Yokohama Green Up Plan started its 4th Five Year Plan. The third pillar of the plan is about gentrification of neighborhood whose budget for FY 2024 is 580 million yen (= USD 3.8 million, wow). The City funds neighborhood associations and Lovers groups for small gardens in the City to keep flowers and shrubberies orderly year around. The citizens maintaining flower beds not only for neighborhood gardens, but also for shrubberies along the city roads. A part of the budget is invested in Kohoku New Town. I’ve met Kohoku New Town people who are engaged in gentrification and maintenance of shrubberies of the public road. I talked with them and realized, although the level of politics would be smaller than that for the original development of New Town, maintenance of the New area is the result of political endeavor in neighborhood activities. If you’re interested in such things in Tokyo’s suburbs, please read on.

Well-maintained pedestrian road in Kohoku New Town

Nakagawa Station is a subway stop for both Blue and Green Lines of Yokohama Municipal Subway. To the northwest is Azamino Station of Tokyu Den’en-toshi Line, and to the southeast is Center-Kita (North) Station of the Subway. The area around Nakagawa Station is sitting pretty in Kohoku New Town, surrounded by lots of amenities. Unlike Center-kita or Center-Minami (South) stations, the area for Nakagawa Station is more of detached houses, with some condos standing. South of the Station is Yamazaki Park, one of the strategically placed municipal Parks for Kohoku New Town. The tributary of Tsurumi River, called Hayabuchi River, goes from the northwest to the southeast of the town. A road running along Hayabuchi River 早淵川 which is now meandering in housing areas was a part of Oyama Street 大山街道 (; my post March 17, 2017). On that route there is a tiny but old shrine called Roba-Kajiyama Fudoh 老馬鍛冶山不動尊. In short, Nakagawa Town is a part of Kohoku New Town, but preserves some remnants of old rural community of Tama Hills.

Hayabuchi River

Former Oyama Street, aka Route 246

Roba-Kajiyama Fudoh

Eastern half of Nakagawa Town is nearer to Center-Kita Station, a commuter hub of the area. The area has Nakagawa Hachimanyama Park 中川八幡山公園 so that amenity-wise Eastern Nakagawa is somehow self-sufficient for gentrification or such matters. Western Nakagawa around Nakagawa Nishi Junior High is nearer to arterial Route 246, but was a bit too “ordinary” suburb to claim fashionable Kohoku New Town. So, the locals of Western Nakagawa created Non-Profit Organization, “Nakagawa Group for Green, Water and History,” and from 2022 begun 3-year gentrification project of their neighborhood, funded by 10% local donations and roughly 90% from Yokohama Green Up Plan. FY 2024 is the final year for them to expect municipal budgetary help. I happened to have a chance to be introduced to almost a final touch of their project. It’s basically a volunteer-driven works with public help. In this framework what the City is doing is the same for Niiiharu Lovers: budgetary help with occasional technical consulting. Though unlike forest, it’s a matter of commuter roads in rows of houses. I thought there could be a peculiar political issue to make the endeavor successful. Next week, I report you what I’ve found there. Please stay tuned.

Nakagawa Nishi Junior High

If you have any questions about Yokohama’s Green Tax and Green Up Plan, please make a contact with

Strategic Planning Division, Green Environment Bureau, City of Yokohama
横浜市みどり環境局戦略企画課

Phone: 045-671-2712
FAX: 045-550-4093 

Email: mk-kikaku@city.yokohama.lg.jp