How to redraw a city - The Works in Progress Newsletter

This is an article from the new issue of Works in Progress, Issue 19. Read the full issue, including pieces on the end of lead in the developing world and the secret history of inflation targeting, on our website. Anya Martin explains the planning trick that allowed Japan to build great cities. In the shadows of Tokyo’s vast train stations lie traditional narrow yokochō alleyways crammed with small izakaya drinking dens and tiny restaurants. These spaces highlight one of history's most remarkable urban transformations. Within a century, Japan evolved from a poor country with few paved roads to one of the world's most technologically advanced nations, renowned for its flourishing cities and modern infrastructure. This achievement is particularly extraordinary given the situations Japan has found itself in. Japan entered the twentieth century with cities that had generally not been designed for wheeled vehicles, let alone modern mass transit. Meanwhile, postwar land reforms fragmented ru

This is an article from the new issue of Works in Progress, Issue 19. Read the full issue, including pieces on the end of lead in the developing world and the secret history of inflation targeting, on our website. Anya Martin explains the planning trick that allowed Japan to build great cities. In the shadows of Tokyo’s vast train stations lie traditional narrow yokochō alleyways crammed with small izakaya drinking dens and tiny restaurants. These spaces highlight one of history's most remarkable urban transformations. Within a century, Japan evolved from a poor country with few paved roads to