Ep 72: Notes on Tokyo’s Housing, Land Use, and Urban Planning with Shane Phillips

In this episode, Shane combines insights from a recent trip to Tokyo with official data on housing production, affordability, land use policy, and more.Show notes:Twitter thread of photos and observations during my trip.Episode 16 of the UCLA Housing Voice Podcast with Jiro Yoshida, on Japanese Housing PolicyJapanese population by prefecture.JR East Yamanote Line timetable.Mainichi article on recovering transit ridership on the Yamanote Line.The myth of pedestrian infrastructure in a world of cars, by Joe Cortright in City Observatory.Data on housing starts vs. existing home sales in the US, Japan, and selected other countries – see pg. 137.Report comparing Japanese and United Kingdom homebuilding practices in the early 2000s, by James Barlow and Ritsuko OzakiConstruction Physics articles on Toyota’s prefab homes and Japan’s skyscraper factories.Yoshida, J. (2021). Land scarcity, high construction volume, and distinctive leases characterize Japan’s rental housing markets. Brookings Institution.Suzuki, M., Asami, Y., & Shimizu, C. (2021). Housing rent rigidity under downward pressure: Unit-level longitudinal evidence from Tokyo. Journal of Housing Economics, 52, 101762.Excerpt from Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What to Do About It, written by Daniel Knowles and published by Abrams Press.Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Housing + Transportation Index.Iwata, S., & Yamaga, H. (2004). The costs and benefits of tenancy rent control in Tokyo. Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences, Discussion Paper Series, (1081).Guide to Japan’s zoning code.Urban Kchoze blog post on Japanese zoning.Zoning map of Tokyo.