Sanctuaries of the City ─ Lessons from Tokyo

Tokyo is a large 'world city', yet it is also 'liveable': Through its examination of this East Asian city, this book not only provides a much needed study of urbanism in this region, but also puts forward an innovative new rationale about how a mega-city succeeds in being safe, well ordered and yet creative and dynamic. It proposes that a key element in this is the creation of places of urban sociability. It examines these places: the market place, the 'third place' and the sacred place and analyses each as a place of sanctuary, necessarty to social cohesion. From its empirical analysis of such sanctuaries in Tokyo and their role in creating liveable cities, this book develops theory more generally about mega cities, urban sociability and identity.

Anni Greve, Associate Professor of Sociology at the Department of Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University, Denmark