Construction for a 2020 Olympics stadium will cut down 1,708 trees
February 24, 2015
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2015 February 18 - 24 [SOCIAL ISSUES]
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It is very shocking to know the number of trees a new national stadium will have on its premises after the replacement of the existing one in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward. It will dramatically be cut from the current 1,784 trees to 76. The Science Council of Japan, the authority of all fields of sciences in Japan, recently revealed this figure and suggested that the design be modified.
The plan to build an 80,000-capacity stadium as a main venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has many problems. The plan boasts itself as environmentally friendly, but the new structure will be 70 meters high. It will be gigantic given that the current height is 27 meters and that the surrounding area is designated as a “scenic preservation zone”. Many architects and environmentally-conscious citizens are voicing opposition to the plan as inappropriate for the scenic zone.
The initial cost was 130 billion yen for building the megastructure. Then, it went up to 160 billion yen last year. Taking into account a future increase in the consumption tax rate and the rising cost of building materials, the total construction cost will further swell.
The demolition work of the present stadium already started. However, Tokyo still withholds how much it really needs. “For fear of criticism, Tokyo cannot make public the actual figures,” people are talking about.
Maki Fumihiko, a famous architect, wrote in the book published last year that many European countries “reflect people’s voices” in the construction of public buildings. Citing the Parthenon in Athens, the ancient Olympics stadium, as an example, Maki said, “I heard that every detail was decided through comitia assemblies based on the direct will of citizens’ communities” (Maki: 2014).
In sharp contrast, Tokyo falls far short of releasing information on the new national stadium and in reflecting public voices calling for modifications. One of the researchers who compiled the Science Council of Japan suggestion, said, “Our predecessors left us rich greenery infrastructure such as the forest of Meiji Jingu Shrine. What of the natural environment can we pass down to future generations? This is now being called into question.”
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