Public Transport and Compact Urban Development Revive Regional Economies in Japan

In central Toyama, a city of about 400,000 people in western Japan, transport is designed to keep movement simple. Visitors leaving the Shinkansen ticket gates at Toyama Station can travel in every direction on level ground, without repeatedly climbing stairs. Light rail lines reach the station itself, allowing easy transfers.

A large circular bus terminal sits in the plaza outside. For Hiroko Fujimura, an 89-year-old resident who has lived in Toyama for more than 50 years, the change has made a visible difference. “Public transport is convenient, so I can easily go anywhere and go out more than before,” she said. “I also feel that I get more exercise.”

Toyama was not always an easy city to navigate without a car. Its area covers 1,241 square kilometres, more than twice the size of Seoul, but trains and buses once ran at long intervals. Many residents therefore drove themselves. The city’s transport-share survey showed private-car dependence climbing from 42.5% in 1974 to 72.2% in 1999.

The city’s response has centred on lowering dependence on private vehicles and directing development toward places served by public transport. The article presents this “compact city” strategy as a way to make daily life more accessible while helping revive the local economy.

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Public transport is convenient, so I can easily go anywhere and go out more than before. I also feel that I get more exercise.