A Gap in Urban Planning Seen from the Submergence of Peoni Walk Higashimatsuyama: Considering Development Permits and Responsibilities

First, I visited the site after many years since the submergence

It has been a long time since the East Japan Typhoon in 2019. I finally visited Peoni Walk Higashimatsuyama in Higashimatsuyama City. I felt a lot of discomfort in the place I visited for the first time since it was submerged by the typhoon. And I began to think that it might not end with just a personal impression. Peoni Walk is a large-scale commercial facility that spreads around the east exit of Kosaka Station. Located in Azumacho 4-chome, there are several buildings including the mall itself. The first thing I noticed when I walked around the site was that the buildings were not gathered together, but were divided into multiple buildings, and seemed to spread out in slightly distant places or different parcels. Although it looks like a single commercial area, I got a strong impression that it was physically and legally divided into multiple different buildings and different areas. The moment I saw this division, I wondered if it was an escape from development permission based on the City Planning Act. Is there a gap in the system behind the convenient and lively commercial facilities? Such thoughts gradually grew within me.

Location of Peoni Walk and how to separate buildings

Peoni Walk Higashimatsuyama opened in 2010 as the core facility of the land readjustment project in the second district of the east exit of Kosaka Station in Musashi Ryokuen City promoted by the Urban Renaissance Agency. It is certain that it is a facility with a strong planned aspect. However, when I actually walked around the site, I felt that the main mall, the building of the electronics retail store, and other commercial facilities were not completely integrated, but were independent as multiple buildings. Parking lots are also widely spread, and the connections between buildings are not necessarily close. This form may be due to the convenience of the operation of commercial facilities. However, from the viewpoint of urban planning, another interpretation holds. In the past, there have been cases where the method of lowering the hurdle of development permission or avoiding the permission itself by dividing the development scale into multiple operators or multiple sites has been regarded as a problem.If the whole was treated as an integrated large-scale development, would stricter flood control measures have been required? This question has not disappeared in me since I saw the site.

City Planning Law and Development Permit

Under the City Planning Law, development permits are required for development activities over a certain scale. In particular, development is restricted in urbanization control areas in principle. To obtain a permit, strict technical standards must be cleared. Specifically, it is required to install a regulating pond to temporarily store rainwater, formulate a detailed drainage plan, and ensure structural safety of buildings. These are important mechanisms to reduce the risk of flooding during heavy rain. If the regulating pond is properly installed, the amount of water flowing into the river at once during torrential rain can be suppressed. If the drainage plan is solid, the risk of inundation will be reduced. However, there is a possibility that these standards may be applied loosely by dividing the development scale into small pieces or dividing it into multiple buildings. As a result, there are cases where comprehensive flood control measures that should have been originally necessary are not sufficiently guaranteed. If the facilities around Pioni Walk were intentionally divided into multiple buildings and multiple plots, such concerns would be realistic. Of course, this is just my guess. I can not confirm it unless I confirm official documents. However, as far as I see the situation on the site, I felt that it was difficult to completely deny that possibility.

Reality of Damage Due to East Japan Typhoon in 2019

In fact, in the first year of the Reiwa East Japan Typhoon, the levee of the Miyaku River burst, causing enormous flood damage mainly in the Hayamata district. A part of Azuma-cho 4-chome was also flooded, and Pioni Walk suffered about 30 centimeters of flood damage on the first floor, forcing it to close for a long time. There is no doubt that the main cause is the flooding of the outside water, that is, the flooding from the river. As the levee broke, it would have been difficult to completely prevent the damage even if the surrounding facilities took measures. However, it cannot be denied that the possibility that the amount of rainwater runoff increased due to the urbanization of the surrounding area and the drainage capacity of the inner water did not keep up. Other commercial facilities in the vicinity suffered minor damage. The fact that it was near the topographical boundary may also have an effect. Still, the fact that Peoni Walk was damaged is heavy. The flooding of the commercial complex where many people gather has meaning beyond mere damage to the building.

Location of Permit Authority - - Relationship between City and Prefecture

What is even more worrisome here is the location of the permission authority. In Higashimatsuyama City, the authority to permit development is currently transferred to the city. The Housing and Building Division of the city is the point of contact. However, it cannot be denied that in the past, Saitama Prefecture handled it directly, and the location of large-scale facilities in the control area was a relatively easy environment. Urbanization control areas are originally "areas where urbanization should be suppressed." The reason why schools, universities, and shopping malls are located there one after another is because there was some kind of laxity in the operation of the system. Priority is given to economic revitalization and regional development, so long-term flood control and disaster prevention are put off. Such a distortion of priorities becomes apparent during extreme weather events such as typhoons. The purpose of the City Planning Law is to prevent disorderly development and to achieve both planned urban area formation and disaster prevention. Nevertheless, large facilities stand side by side in the control area, and as a result, large damage occurs during flood damage. This is not limited to Higashimatsuyama City, but is also a structural problem seen throughout the country.

Seeking official confirmation - - Current status under inquiry

I didn't want to leave this question alone. So I decided to officially confirm it. Currently, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Kanto Regional Development Bureau is asking the Arakawa Upstream River Office for an overview of the amount of damage caused by the Tsuiku River outburst and where it is responsible for river management. Tsuiku River belongs to the Arakawa River system, and it is the same office that knows the management responsibility and survey results of the outburst site. At the same time, the Higashimatsuyama City City City Planning Division is also asking about the amount of damage in the city and the responsibility from the perspective of urban planning and development permits. How accurately is the full extent of the damage grasped and released? How were flood control measures considered during the development process? I think that clarifying these points is the first step to prevent similar damage from repeating. I do not know if I will get an answer soon. Administration tends to be cautious and avoid expressions that clearly acknowledge responsibility. Nevertheless, it makes sense to ask questions officially. By leaving a record as a document, it can be verified later.

In order not to clean up flood damage with "natural disaster"

Floods are often dismissed as "natural disasters." Indeed, the rainfall of the East Japan typhoon in 2019 was rare in the history of observation. However, the height and strength of the levee, the surrounding land use, and the adequacy of the drainage plan are also the result of human choices. How to operate the criteria for development permission, and how far to allow the location in the adjustment area - these are policy judgments. If the damage increases as a result of the judgment, the lessons will not be applied if the responsibility is ambiguous. Due to climate change, extreme rainfall is likely to increase in the future. I want to accumulate what I can do now in order not to regret that I should have reconsidered the development method at that time. What I felt while walking on the site was the bustling commercial facility and the strange atmosphere where traces of the former flood damage coexist. The building has been restored and business has resumed. However, there must be memories of flooding under the floor or somewhere in the facilities. Many visitors may not know that memory or may have already weathered it.

Future approach and my thoughts

I don't want this experience to end with mere personal impressions.I want to raise awareness of disaster prevention by continuing to ask questions about gaps in the city planning law, the operation of development permits, the location of authority, and clarification of the amount of damage and responsibility.While waiting for responses from the Arakawa River Upstream Office and Higashimatsuyama City Hall, I plan to expand my approach further by requesting information disclosure, referring to the prefecture, and consulting with legislators if necessary. What the submergence of the Peoni Walk taught me was a very natural lesson. Filling in the gaps in the system and clarifying the responsibility is the first step to prevent the next flood. I will continue to watch and question the process.

PIONI WALK HIGASHIMATSUYAMA 2019 East Japan Typhoon # river # river The City Planning Act Development Permit# Urbanization Control Area # Flood Damage # Responsibility # Higashimatsuyama City # Disaster Prevention

Disaster Prevention

The Responsibility

The building

# multiple

Flood damage

# Location of responsibility

The City Planning Act

Urbanization Control Area

Higashimatsuyama City

Development Permit

# river # river

2019 East Japan Typhoon

# peoni _ walk

PIONI WALK HIGASHIMATSUYAMA

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