Tokyo liminal spaces as a dispersed constellation of spatial identities

Abstract

In a metropolis and metropolitan public space, increased attention has recently been given to overlooked and uncontrolled spaces. Considered as spatial 'voids,' 'idle spaces,' 'interstices,' and 'in-between' spaces, they all have one characteristic in common: 'the waiting for use' potential that can be ignited by users' creativity and tenacity, and with designers taking the role of 'enablers' rather than 'deciders'. Hence, urban leftover space becomes meaningful place with a strong local identity, enabling new connections and maximising its socio-spatial potential. This paper analyses Tokyo as a paradigmatic case study to investigate the roles of local spatial practices in the process of leftovers' identity (re)construction. More so than other global metropolises, the city represents a living laboratory for experimentation due to its compactness and the variety of small-scale urban patterns. A combination of ethnographic observations and visual analysis is applied as a trans-disciplinary method to investigate small-scale urban leftovers in Tokyo's traditional urban tissue of the shitamachi districts. This approach allows an understanding of how individuals transform and utilise leftovers, which become a dispersed constellation of tangible spaces of identity. Extrapolation of home into a public zone of liminal leftover space, through appropriation and care, becomes the key to the resilience of local identities.