Sustainable Commercial Urbanism in Japan: Hiroshima’s Shopping Anatomy

Commercial inner‐city areas in many Japanese cities and towns have experienced urban decline due to changes in the country’s retail system and suburbanization processes. Commercial urbanism attempts at regenerating those areas have included the creation of arcades covering relatively central segments of main streets and alleyways. Various levels of government and members of the civil society in Japan have also developed urban revitalisation strategies to encourage the preservation of such districts. What is the extent
and effectiveness of some of the urban revitalisation strategies aimed at helping to regenerate city centres and to endow cities with a variety of commercial offerings? The article examines evidence of sustainable commercial urbanism practices in Hiroshima prefecture via the examples of a covered arcade (also known as shotengai) in the city of Onomichi and a suburban shopping centre in Higashi‐Hiroshima. The research methods comprised reviews of specialised literature and public policy documents, visits to both retail formats before the Covid–19 pandemic, visual inventories of shopping environments, and discussions of economic, environmental, and community forces. Extensive desk‐based research was conducted during the organisation of Urban Planning’s thematic issue on sustainable urban regeneration in Japan (2024–2025).
It is argued that the urban planning system together with community development practices ought to be responsible for ensuring the authenticity and vibrancy of successful urban and suburban shopping districts in Japan. Within the broad field of Machizukury studies, this article sheds light on a Japanese idiosyncrasy: the country’s attempts at promoting sustainable commercial urbanism and the co‐existence of multiple shopping formats.