Study on the Landscape Consolidation of Midosuji Boulevard in Terms of Block Characteristics

The present study aims at examining urban landscape in terms of the transition of block composition and the formation of tree-planting in open spaces resulting from different combinations of lots and buildings, taking as an example Midosuji Boulevard, the street that symbolizes Osaka; and at identifying problems with, and the ideal orientation of, future landscape consolidation of Midosuji Boulevard by evaluating three-dimensional models of present and future street spaces created by a computer graphics (CG) system. The study revealed the following: In terms of utilization, the only currently feasible function of Midosuji Boulevard is merely that of a pedestrian thoroughfare since there are no open spaces. In the future, however, open spaces may be secured in the front of lots and on the lower level of buildings for various usage by pedestrians. In terms of landscape, the present condition tends to be oppressive, as the building walls are situated very near or immediately on the boundary between public and private spaces. In the future, open spaces secured in the foreground of lots and on the lower level of buildings will create a more expansive and spacious atmosphere. At the same time, this change can pose a new problem: continuously located open spaces of a similar size on the lower level of buildings facing the same street may excessively emphasize the continuity of the streetscape, depriving the quarter of special charms that could result from variable and unpredictable "rhythms" of landscape