(28) Future Tokyo: the new Miyashita Park, Shibuya 宮下公園

Miyashita Park is one of the more interesting and controversial pieces of urban planning in Tokyo. Until recently it was a park north of Shibuya station with comprehensive “programming” that included a skate park, climbing wall, and footsal court. The park, built on top of a parking garage, was a linear and elevated space. You can take a virtual tour of the old park in the linked Google Streetview photo-sphere; or this other photo-sphere, taken at night.

Miyashita Park: 2011-2017:

Map of the Miyashita Park, circa 2011:

View of the park from above (source):

The park’s initial redesign in the late 2000s, by Atelier Bow-Wow , generated controversy due to the expulsion of homeless people who lived there; see “How the homeless are fighting Nike in Shibuya’s Miyashita Park” (May 12, 2010). The park’s prime location means that controversies may never completely disappear. Plans to rejuvenate the park for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have angered advocates of the few homeless who remain in the park: “Battle over Shibuya park heats up as Tokyo Olympics loom” (The Japan Times, April 1, 2015). And just the other week, a small protest was reported: “Three people removed from Tokyo park at center of construction protest “(Reuters, March 28, 2017)

Skateboarding:

Rock climbing:

Just south of Miyashita Park is the cramped and quaint drinking district: Nonbei Yokocho 渋谷のんべい横丁:

Plans for the new (post-2017) Miyashita Park

The new park is planned to open in August, 2019 (source):

Destruction / construction – where once there were trees, it is now an empty lot (source):

Miyashita Park under renovation in October, 2017:

See also:

• 渋谷・宮下公園が2019年度、3階建て施設の屋上に整備へ ／東京 Shibuya · Miyashita Park undergoes maintenance on the rooftop of 3-floor facility planned for 2019, Tokyo
• About a 2010 police action to remove homeless people from the park: 宮下公園が全面占拠された！（追記あり） Miyashita Park was fully occupied! (broken link: tsurumitext seesaa net/article/162772237 html)
• Future Tokyo: Shinagawa Station Redevelopment
• Miyashita Park (Japanese Wikipedia)