*This article is compiled and analyzed based on publicly available information as of January 2026.

1. Introduction: Urban Planning as "Magic" and Burnham's True Intentions

First of all, we need to look back at the historical context in which Daniel Burnham left behind his famous words. By tracing back through history, the true weight of his words becomes apparent.

1.1 The true nature of a vision that "gets people's blood boiling"

At the Town Planning Conference held in London in 1910, Burnham stressed the importance of "vision" in urban development. The following phrase, now widely attributed to him, is said to have originated in a speech paper given at the conference ("A City of the Future under a Democratic Government"), among other sources:

“Don’t make small plans, they won’t have the magic to make people’s blood boil and they probably won’t even come to fruition.
Plan big. Aim high in your hopes and your work.
Remember that noble and logical drawings, once recorded, never die, but will live on and assert themselves more and more long after we are gone."
— Daniel Hudson Burnham (Attributed)

At the time, from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Chicago was in the midst of rapid industrialization. The railroad network was spread out in a chaotic fashion, black smoke billowed from factories, and living conditions for workers were extremely poor. It was a city of desire and chaos, with no regard for "beauty."

Under these circumstances, Burnham's goal was not simply to improve the physical landscape by widening roads and constructing buildings. He sought to bring order and beauty to the city, thereby uplifting the spirits of the people who lived there and fostering civic pride. This was the core of the great wave known as the "City Beautiful Movement."

1.2 The 1909 "Chicago Plan": A vision of the future

The "Chicago Plan" was drawn up by Burnham and his assistant Edward Bennett and published in 1909. It was the first comprehensive regional urban plan in the United States, taking into account not only the Chicago metropolitan area but the entire metropolitan area (with a radius of approximately 60 miles).

According to sources such as the Chicago Architecture Center, the plan's framework is made up of six main categories:

Of particular importance was the "publicization of the lakefront." From an economic perspective at the time, the lakefront was the ideal location for factories and warehouses. However, after a legal battle led by catalogue mail-order magnate Aaron Montgomery Ward and others, the principle of "Forever Open, Clear, and Free" was established. Burnham's plan can be said to have spatially embodied this ideal.

As a result, of the current Chicago lakefront (approximately 29-30 miles), approximately 26 miles (approximately 42 km) has been opened to the public as parks and public open space. The Google Map below shows a continuous series of lush green buffer zones that seem to stand against the hustle and bustle of the city.

▲ The Grant Park area in Chicago. Almost the entire lakefront is reserved as public space.

2. Comparative Urban Studies: The crucial differences between the urban structures of Chicago and Japan

Comparing Chicago, where Burnham's "grand plan" was realized, with our Japanese cities highlights the fundamental differences in their philosophies regarding urban formation. Here, we will attempt to analyze the two from both quantitative data and qualitative institutional perspectives.

2.1 [Quantitative analysis] Comparison of two axes: "area" and "closeness"

To evaluate the quality of a city's green space, it is necessary to look at two indicators simultaneously: "area (quantity) per person" and "proximity to home (access)." The chart below compares Chicago and Tokyo (23 wards) using the same criteria.

Swipe the graph sideways to see the comparison

This comparative graph illustrates the crucial differences between urban structures in Japan and the United States. Looking at "② Accessibility," the bar extends all the way to the right in both cities, showing that parks are familiar to residents. However, there is a difference of more than three times in "① Spaciousness."

In other words, Tokyo is "a network of small parks spread throughout the city like capillaries (high density, small scale)," while Chicago is "a city with vast open spaces secured in familiar locations (high density, large scale)." Burnham's goal was not just to distribute space in close proximity, but also to distribute it equitably, with a "sufficient scale" that allowed citizens to unwind physically and mentally.

2.2 [Qualitative analysis] Conflicts in zoning ideology: separation or coexistence?

Digging deeper, we find that Japan and the United States have contrasting approaches to the concept of "zoning," which determines the landscape and function of cities.

Swipe the table sideways to see more details

Burnham's plans prioritize "order," so they have a strong affinity with American (Euclidean) zoning, which separates functions. On the other hand, Japanese urban development has the flexibility to use small plots of land for multiple purposes, which has created a unique "mixed charm." Rather than a dichotomy of which is superior, the key to the future lies in how to utilize the characteristics of both.

3. The Genealogy of "Planned Cities" in Hokkaido and the Influence of America

Now let's shift our focus to Hokkaido, the subject of this article. In fact, Hokkaido has a history of urban development that is completely different from other regions of Japan.

3.1 The Capron Plan and Grid Streets

In the early Meiji period, the Hokkaido Development Commission invited many experts (hired foreigners) from the United States. The most prominent of these was Horace Capron, an advisor to the Commission. Under their guidance, Sapporo and other major cities in Hokkaido were built as planned cities with a clear "grid" street layout similar to that seen in the American Midwest.

While castle towns in Honshu have labyrinthine structures (T-junctions and dead ends) that intentionally make visibility difficult for defensive purposes, Sapporo's cityscape is rational and linear as far as the eye can see. Furthermore, Odori Park, a symbol of Sapporo, was originally developed by the Hokkaido Development Commission as a firebreak to prevent the spread of fires, and now also serves as a green belt that gives the city a breath of fresh air.

Odori Park, Sapporo. The grid-like streets and green belts that form the city axis show the strong influence of American urban planning.

In other words, Hokkaido's cities have a DNA that has always embraced the Burnham-esque "Logical Diagram." This historical context is an important factor supporting the legitimacy of Toyako Town's new urban development concept.

4. Contemporary Trend: Fusion with "Tactical Urbanism"

However, "grand plans" also have some drawbacks that cannot be ignored. These include huge financial burdens, long lead times until completion, and rigidity that makes it difficult to make corrections once underway. In today's rapidly changing society, tying everything down to a fixed plan that looks 100 years into the future can actually be risky.

In recent years, a method known as "tactical urbanism" has been attracting worldwide attention.

4.1 "Start small, grow big"

The slogan "Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper," advocated by groups such as Project for Public Spaces (PPS), perfectly captures the essence of this approach, which includes turning road space into temporary plazas, setting up food trucks, and painting temporary bicycle lanes.

At first glance, this may seem to go against Burnham's teaching, "Don't make small plans." However, this is not the case. If what Burnham sought was "magic that moves the hearts of citizens," then perhaps this process, in which citizens themselves participate and change their town little by little with their own hands, could be said to be a modern-day form of "magic."

5. Local practice: "Toyako Model" adapted to Toyako Town, Hokkaido

Based on the discussion so far, we will propose a new model of urban development for the specific region of Toyako Town, Hokkaido, that combines Burnham's ideas with modern tactics.

5.1 [Lakeside Area] Burnham-style "Sanctuary" Strategy

The legal principle that Montgomery Ward and others advocated for protecting the Chicago lakeshore, "Forever Open, Clear, and Free," should be applied as a guiding principle to Lake Toya today, given its overwhelming natural assets.

• Full public access to the lakefront:
  Currently, in some areas, accommodation facilities are built right up to the lakeshore, but in the future, we will encourage them to set back and develop a continuous "lakeside promenade" that anyone can walk along freely. This is a "grand plan" that prioritizes the public good, rather than the profits of any particular company.
• Establishment of "view rights" and removal of abandoned buildings:
  The local government will take strong leadership in removing the abandoned hotels (Blight) that are obstructing the view and promoting greening. Ensuring a view of the lake (Vista) is an absolute rule for protecting the dignity of the city.

5.2 [Hot Spring Towns and Streets] Creating a Japanese-style "tactical" lively atmosphere

On the other hand, on the main streets of hot spring resorts where tourists and residents come and go, Japanese-style flexibility that allows for change is needed rather than strict regulations.

• Street "living" experiment:
  We will conduct a social experiment by temporarily turning the roadway into a pedestrian zone and installing kotatsu tables and terrace seating on the street. Unconstrained by existing zoning, we will draw out the potential of the area by using an agile approach of "try it, and if it doesn't work, fix it."
• Turning winter's negatives into positives:
  A winter challenge in Hokkaido is the "snow mountains caused by snow removal." Rather than treating them as mere obstacles, they are incorporated into the design as snow candle corridors and play areas for children. This is an extremely advanced example of tactical urbanism that makes use of the region's unique climate and geography.

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