Image Credit: grace-kobe.com
English Translations of Kobe City Planning Documents
Source: Excerpts from Kobe City's Urban Development Guide and Seishin 2nd District Plan
A Master Planned Community
Seishin New Town (西神ニュータウン) was conceived as part of Kobe's 1965 Master Plan to create a secondary urban center in the western part of the city. Located on hilly terrain 13-17km from downtown Kobe and connected via municipal subway, it represents Japan's first attempt at building a job-housing balanced new town.
As noted by Sasahara Wakio of the Western Seishin New Town Research Association:
"In the western region, moving beyond the previous bedroom community format, a new town was established that incorporates multiple functions including 'living,' 'working,' 'learning,' and 'recreation,' structured around residential areas, industrial zones, and a comprehensive sports park."
Seishin New Town consists of three interconnected areas developed approximately 10 years apart:
- Seishin Central (opened 1982) - 634ha, planned for 61,000 people, currently ~50,000 residents
- Seishin South (西神第2地区, opened 1993) - 415ha, planned for 35,000 people, currently ~31,000 residents
- Kobe Research Park City (opened 1985) - 302ha, planned for 20,000 people, currently ~19,000 residents
In total, these areas house around 100,000 people, representing about 40% of Kobe's western ward population.
Different Planning Approaches Across Phases
Seishin Central and Research Park City - Standard Zoning
The original Seishin Central area and Kobe Research Park City follow standard Japanese zoning regulations with a more permissive mixed-use approach (see our guide to Japanese zoning).
Key Design Features
- Environmental Integration - One-third of the total area dedicated to green spaces, preserving natural features
- Transit-Oriented Design - Kobe Municipal Subway forming the spine with commercial facilities clustered near stations
- Balanced Housing Approach - Diverse range of housing options from single-family homes to mid/high-rise apartments
Seishin South - Restrictive District Plan
In contrast, Seishin South operates under a specific District Plan with more restrictive zoning than typical Japanese areas, divided into:
- Center Districts - Administrative, commercial, and cultural facilities
- Residential Districts - Low-rise and mid/high-rise areas with specific regulations
- Special Business Districts - Office space, factories, and research facilities
- Peripheral Districts - Green spaces and institutional facilities
Notable regulations include minimum lot sizes (150 square meters), setback requirements, and prohibition of apartments in certain areas.
Seattle-Vancouver Village: North American Design in Japan
Seattle-Vancouver Village in Google Maps | Go To Street View
The entrance to Vancouver Village, with Canadian-inspired house designs [Source]
Seattle Village streetscape showing cul-de-sac design [Source]
Site plan showing Seattle Village (left) and Vancouver Village (right) [Source]
American Carpenter Radker teaching Japanese site supervisors about 2x4 construction methods [Source]
Within Seishin New Town, the Seattle-Vancouver Village (西神SVヴィレッジ) represents one of the most interesting housing experiments. Completed in 1989 in the Takenodai district, this project was Japan's first comprehensive attempt to create an authentic North American housing community.
According to the Japan Townscape Preservation League, the project was designed to fulfill the dreams of generations who grew up watching popular American TV dramas of the 1950s-60s, with support directly from Seattle and Vancouver.
Project Details
- Developed by the Kobe City Housing Supply Corporation (神戸市住宅供給公社)
- Design collaboration between North American and Japanese architects:
- Seattle Village: Mithun-Bowman-Emrick Group with Isshiki Architectural Design Office
- Vancouver Village: Jenish House Design with Kura Architectural Design Office
- Construction coordination by House Planning Inc. using CM (Construction Management) approach
- North American carpenters trained Japanese workers in 2x4 construction methods
Design Features
- 26 total homes (13 in Seattle Village, 13 in Vancouver Village)
- Cul-de-sac street layouts with communal center plazas
- Homes set back from streets with front yards and no boundary walls
- Average home size: 132m² (excluding 18m² garages)
- Average lot size: 240m²
- Three duplex buildings (six units total)
- Modified to suit Japanese climate, lifestyle needs, and building codes
- Platform frame (2x4) wood construction
The project was exceptionally popular, with competition rates averaging 60 applicants per home and peaking at nearly 120 applicants. This demonstrates the strong cultural appeal of North American housing aesthetics in Japan, while simultaneously showcasing how those designs could be adapted to work within a more compact, planned community context.
A popular Jenish House Design seen around neighbourhoods in Langley.
Jenish House Design, who worked on the Vancouver Village portion of Seishin New Town, is responsible for house designs found throughout British Columbia, making their "Vancouver Village" more of a reflection of houses built across BC during the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in suburban areas.
Jenish designed houses are especially prevalent in Langley (my home in Walnut Grove was designed by Jenish!) making this project particularly meaningful. The Vancouver Village shows how these designs, and in turn much of the housing stock in Langley, can still work well in a denser, more urban, context.
"New Town" to "Vintage Town"
Western Seishin New Town Research Association
One of the most inspiring aspects of Seishin New Town is the active community-led research group that has emerged: the Western Seishin New Town Research Association (西神ニュータウン研究会).
Established in 2003, the association maintains an active schedule of community engagement through monthly meetings, newsletters, walking tours, and publications documenting the community's evolution. Their approach offers valuable lessons for how communities can thoughtfully manage neighbourhood maturation.
This resident-led organization functions similarly to Strong Towns groups in North America. They've pioneered the concept of "Vintage Town" (ヴィンテージタウン) as an alternative to the "New Town" model, focusing on celebrating the character and social connections that develop as communities age, adaptive reuse, and incremental renewal rather than major redevelopment.
Adapting to Community Maturation
The "Vintage Town" concept is further discussed in this essay by Wakio Sasahara of Western Seishin New Town Research Association - the recognition that communities need ongoing attention and adaptation as they age:
- Establishing community research groups like the Western Seishin New Town Research Association
- Creating opportunities for intergenerational exchange and community building
- Finding new uses for aging facilities and commercial areas
- Supporting cultural and recreational activities that build community identity
- Celebrating the character that develops as neighbourhoods mature
Lessons for Langley: Bridging North American and Japanese Approaches
Finding Middle Ground in Urban Form
Seishin New Town, and especially the Seattle-Vancouver Village project, demonstrates how aspects of North American suburban design can be integrated into a more compact, mixed-use Japanese framework:
- Familiar Housing Forms at Higher Densities: Single-family aesthetics achieved with smaller lots and more attached housing
- Cul-de-sacs as Community Spaces: Using dead-end streets not just for car access but as shared community spaces
- Mixing Housing Types: Integrating duplexes with single-family homes to increase density without dramatic visual changes
- Setbacks with Purpose: Front yards that are smaller than North American suburbs but still create a green streetscape
- Car Access Without Dominance: Accommodating vehicles without letting them dominate the landscape
For Langley, this suggests possibilities for incremental density increases that maintain familiar neighbourhood character while supporting more efficient land use and better transit viability.
Planning for Complete Communities
Beyond the housing itself, Seishin New Town offers broader lessons about community planning:
- Job-Housing Balance: Deliberately planning employment centers within or adjacent to residential areas
- Transit-First Development: Building the transit infrastructure before or concurrent with housing development
- Lifecycle Planning: Designing communities that can adapt to demographic changes over decades
- Green Infrastructure Networks: Creating connected green spaces rather than isolated parks
- Neighbourhood Retail: Supporting small-scale commercial within walking distance of homes
Relevance to Langley's Growing Areas
These lessons are particularly relevant for Langley as it plans:
- The Willoughby Town Centre development
- Future transit-oriented communities along the planned SkyTrain extension
- Redevelopment of aging single-family neighbourhoods
- Strategies for Brookswood-Fernridge and other growing areas
As Langley's first-generation suburbs themselves begin to age, these approaches to community renewal and adaptation become increasingly relevant. Rather than allowing older neighbourhoods to decline, a "Vintage Town" approach would seek to build on their established character while addressing emerging needs.
References & Further Reading
- 笹原和喜男 (2015): 住み続け、住み熟す ヴィンテージタウンをめざして [Living and Maturing in Place: Aiming for a Vintage Town], Original Source, 家とまちなみ 71号 [House and Townscape Vol. 71], pp.24-25
- 西神ニュータウン研究会 (2024): 西神ニュータウン研究会 会報 第237号 [Western Seishin New Town Research Association Newsletter No. 237], Original Source
- 神戸市みなと総局: 新都市整備本部事業ガイド [Kobe City Planning Department New Urban Development Headquarters Project Guide], Original Source
- 神戸市都市局: 西神第2地区 地区計画 [Seishin South (Dai-2) District Plan], Kobe City Urban Planning Bureau
- 全国町並み保存連盟 [Japan Townscape Preservation League]: 西神ニュータウン 西神SVヴィレッジ [Seishin New Town: Seishin SV Village]
- ハウス企画 [House Planning, Inc.]: ハウス企画監修の神戸Ｓ・Ｖビレッジ [Kobe S.V. Village Supervised by House Planning]
- 改革アップル [Reform Apple]: 西神シアトル・バンクーバービレッジ／兵庫県・神戸市 [Seishin Seattle-Vancouver Village / Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City]
About Our Case Studies
These case studies were researched and compiled by Strong Towns Langley Chair, James Hansen, to identify successful implementations of people-first urban design principles that could inform development in our region.
Have a suggestion for a case study we should explore? Know of an interesting example of sustainable, financially resilient urban development?
Contact James directly at james@strongtownslangley.org, find him on our discord, or contact us with your ideas.
James Hansen
Strong Towns Langley Chair