This topic is closely related to the problem of the "unipolar concentration on Tôkyô" (Tôkyô ikkyoku shûchû), i.e. the domination of the Tôkyô Metropolitan Region not just in population or manufacturing distribution but in the geography of the service sector of the Japanese economy,...

In both countries, France and Germany, there is great pressure to change and adapt towards new forms of urbanity and to conceive new strategic approaches with limited public finance and a need for economic efficiency. Not all types of urban areas are equally affected by these issues. The book...