Opinion | The Big City Where Housing Is Still Affordable

Yuta Yamasaki and Tokyo’s Affordable Housing

Introduction

Yuta Yamasaki and his wife moved from southern Japan to Tokyo a decade ago because job prospects were better in the big city. They now have three sons — ages 10, 8, and 6 — and they are looking for a larger place to live. But Mr. Yamasaki, who runs a gelato shop, and his wife, a child-care worker, aren’t planning to move far. They are confident they can find an affordable three-bedroom apartment in their own neighborhood.

The Challenge of Affordable Housing in Major Cities

As housing prices have soared in major cities across the United States and throughout much of the developed world, it has become normal for people to move away from the places with the strongest economies and best jobs because those places are unaffordable. Prosperous cities increasingly operate like private clubs, auctioning off a limited number of homes to the highest bidders.

Tokyo’s Unique Approach

Tokyo is different. In the past half-century, by investing in transit and allowing development, the city has added more housing units than the total number of units in New York City. It has remained affordable by becoming the world’s largest city. It has become the world’s largest city by remaining affordable.

Affordability in Tokyo

Two full-time workers earning Tokyo’s minimum wage can comfortably afford the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in six of the city’s 23 wards. By contrast, two people working minimum-wage jobs cannot afford the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in any of the 23 counties in the New York metropolitan area.

The Benefits and Downsides of Affordable Housing

Maintaining an abundance of affordable housing has its downsides. Green space is scarce in Tokyo, living spaces are small by Western standards, and relentless redevelopment disrupts communities. But the benefits are profound. Those who want to live in Tokyo generally can afford to do so. There is little homelessness here. The city remains economically diverse, preserving broad access to urban amenities and opportunities. And because rent consumes a smaller share of income, people have more money for other things — or they can get by on smaller salaries — which helps to preserve the city’s vibrant fabric of small restaurants, businesses, and craft workshops.

Tokyo as a Template for Urban Revival

As political leaders in urban areas around the developed world grapple with how best to revive their cities in the aftermath of the pandemic, Tokyo offers a template.

The Development of Tokyo’s Neighborhoods

From the air, or from one of the city’s many observation decks, Tokyo appears as a vast sea of low- and mid-rise buildings laced with archipelagos of high-rises, each island marking the location of a station along one of the city’s railroad lines. The communities around the stations have grown denser too, with apartment buildings interspersed among single-family homes. The population served by the Den-en-toshi line has increased from 20,000 people to more than 600,000. And the railroad, which once ran two-car trains three times an hour, now runs subway-style trains every few minutes, many of which continue into central Tokyo on a subway line.

The Role of Private Initiative in Tokyo’s Development

“We consider ourselves as a city-shaping company,” Hirofumi Nomoto, then chief executive of Tokyu, said in a 2016 interview after the completion of the Futako Tamagawa redevelopment project. “In Europe, for instance, railways companies simply connect cities through their terminals. That is a pretty normal way of operating in this industry, whereas what we do is completely different: We create cities.”

The Importance of Private Initiative

Tokyo makes little effort to preserve old homes. Historic districts subject to preservation laws exist in other Japanese cities, but the nation’s largest city has none. New construction is prized. People treat homes like cars: They want the latest models. Some cities, like Singapore and Vienna, have bucked the trend by using public money to build affordable housing. Almost 80 percent of Singapore residents live in public housing.

Tokyo’s Approach to Housing Development

In Tokyo, there is little public or subsidized housing. Instead, the government has focused on making it easy for developers to build. A national zoning law sharply limits the ability of local governments to impede development. Instead of allowing the people who live in a neighborhood to prevent others from living there, Japan has shifted decision-making to the representatives of the entire population, allowing a better balance between the interests of current residents and of everyone who might live in that place. Small apartment buildings can be built almost anywhere, and larger structures are allowed on a vast majority of urban land. Even in areas designated for offices, homes are permitted.

The Trade-Offs of Tokyo’s Approach

Tokyo’s approach to housing development has its trade-offs. The city makes little effort to preserve old homes, and parks and green spaces are scarce. However, the ease of building in Tokyo means that new construction is not synonymous with luxury housing. Small workshops and factories are common, contributing to the city’s economic diversity.

Conclusion

Tokyo’s unique approach to affordable housing has allowed it to remain an economically diverse city with broad access to urban amenities and opportunities. While it may be cheaper to live here than in other major cities, Tokyo remains Japan’s most expensive city. However, the abundance of affordable housing in neighborhoods like Kuramae ensures that the city remains accessible to many.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 15: Life on Land

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology, and financial services, including microfinance.
• SDG 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.
• SDG 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• SDG 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
• SDG 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
• SDG 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for SDG 1.4: Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, with legally recognized documentation and who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and by type of tenure.
• Indicator for SDG 8.5: Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age group, and persons with disabilities.
• Indicator for SDG 10.2: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.
• Indicator for SDG 11.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements, or inadequate housing.
• Indicator for SDG 12.2: Domestic material consumption per capita, by type of material and income group.
• Indicator for SDG 15.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: nytimes.com

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