Zoning districts Internationally

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Japan

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Japan has three levels of zoning districts. At the broadest scale, prefectural governments can designate urban planning areas[1]. Development is allowed in these areas but are highly restricted outside. Within urban planning areas are two distinct zones, urbanization areas and urbanization control areas. Urbanization areas include existing urbanized areas and areas that have been selected for development in the next ten years. In contrast, development is discouraged in urbanization control areas. Thus, the majority of development occurs in the urbanization areas even though development is legally permissible anywhere in the urban planning area. Land is further classified into 12 use zones[2]. These zones differentiate from each other based on physical variations, such as Floor area ratio, building coverage ratios and shadow restrictions, as well as the uses permitted [2]. Instead of designating an exclusive use for each zone, each zone is defined by the "maximum" use permitted with all lesser zones allowed. (insert image)

  • Category 1 Exclusively Low-Rise Residential Zone: designated for for low-rise residential buildings. Permitted uses within these buildings include small shops, offices and elementary and high schools.
  • Category 2 Exclusively Low-Rise Residential Zone: designated for low-rise residential buildings with above permitted uses as well as shop buildings with floor area up to 150m2.
  • Category 1 Medium and High-rise oriented Residential Zone: designated for medium to high-rise residential buildings with hospitals, university buildings and shop buildings with floor areas up to 500m2 also permitted.
  • Category 2 Medium and High-rise oriented Residential zone: Same as Category 1 Medium and High-rise oriented Residential zone, except shops and office buildings up to 1,500m2 are permitted.
  • Category 1 residential zone: designated for residential with other permitted buildings including shops, offices and hotel buildings with floor areas up to 3,000m2 and auto repair shops up to 50m2.
  • Category 2 residential zone: Same as Category 1 residential zone, except karaoke boxes are permitted and there are no longer building size restrictions in this zone.
  • Quasi-residential zone: designated primarily residential with introduction of vehicle-related road facilities. Same permitted uses as Category 2 residential zone with addition of theatres, restaurants, stores and other entertainment facilities with more than 10,000m2 of floor area and warehouses.
  • Neighbourhood commercial zone: designated for neighbourhood-based daily shopping activities. Same permitted uses as Quasi-residential zone with addition of auto-repair shops with areas up to 300m2.
  • Commercial zone: designated for banks, cinemas and department stores. Same permitted uses as Neighbourhood commercial zone with addition of public bathhouses
  • Quasi-industrial: designated for light industrial and service facilities. Same permitted uses as Commercial zone with addition of factories with some possible danger of environmental degradation.
  • Industrial zone: designated for factories. Residences and shopping can be constructed but schools, hospitals and hotels are impermissible.
  • Exclusively industrial: designated for factories. All non-factory uses are impermissible.

England

Under national law, land uses in England are categorized into 4 Use Order Classes. Class A covers shops and other retail premises such as banks and restaurants, Class B includes workshops, factories and warehouses, Class C are residential uses and Class D are non-residential institutions, assembly and recreational uses [3]. Each class includes subclasses that define uses in greater specificity.

While changes to land or building uses within the same class are permitted without government input, changes to other classes do require permission from planning officials[4]. Planners evaluate proposed changes based on alignment with each municipality's Local development framework, which outlines existing land uses and options for future development, other existing policies and community input[4].

  1. ^ Shibata, Byron. "Land Use Law in the United States and Japan". Journal of Law and Policy. 10.
  2. ^ a b "Introduction to Land use Planning System in Japan" (PDF). Ministry of Land Use, Transport and Infrastructure, Japan. January 2003.
  3. ^ "Planning use classes in England".
  4. ^ a b Hirt, Sonia A. Zoned in the USA: the origins and implications of American land-use regulation.