Modern Kyo Machiya: Livable Architecture for Kyoto

Abstract

The World Monument Fund listed KyoMachiya, the traditional merchant houses of Kyoto, as endangered sites in 2009. Modern, high-rise buildings of commercial and residential use have rapidly replaced the KyoMachiya. These replacements have resulted in the loss of urban identity, livability, and the traditional social network in the region. In 2007, the prefectural government of Kyoto issued a new urban policy with the intent to reverse such losses. Today, all new residential developments are required to incorporate traditional design elements of KyoMachiya in their design. However, the urban policy does not fully address the true characteristics of KyoMachiya, and the incorporation of the traditional design appears only on the façade and in the gabled roof forms of apartment buildings. Unlike KyoMachiya, apartment buildings are set apart from the streets by walls, security doors, and a lack of commercial activity on the street level floor. As a result, such apartment buildings are often unwelcome as they damage the integrity of the remaining KyoMachiya structures and result in a further loss of the urban identity of Kyoto. However, with the ongoing depopulation of the central city, housing boards also desire multifamily residences whose occupants can continue traditional activities. This project includes design guidelines for multifamily residences that may solve conflicts between developers and housing boards.