the zero waste city tokyos quest for a sustainable零废物的城市东京的追求一个可持续的.pdfVIP

The Zero Waste City: Tokyo’s Quest for a Sustainable Environment By Kuniko Fujita and Richard Child Hill Sociology Department Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48823 USA Email: fujitak@ hillrr@ Appeared in The Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Vol. 9, No. 4, December 2007, Pp. 405-425. 2 Abstract This paper examines efforts to remake Tokyo, the world’s largest megalopolis, into an ecologically sustainable city. The analysis is framed by two visions: a general model of eco-effectiveness derived from industrial ecology and an empirically grounded conception of a zero waste city rooted in the lean production practices of Japanese firms and extended beyond the firm to the city by government policies. We specifically focus on Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) programs to reduce waste and especially greenhouse gases. We also examine how TMG’s environmental efforts have been shaped by local politics and by the city’s relations with the central state. Tokyo’s environmental efforts are impressive but they still fall far short of ecological sustainability. The zero waste city is ultimately a political project and Japanese are still divided over how to prioritize and integrate economic growth and environmental quality goals. The eco-effective, zero-waste model envisions transforming the current trade off between economic development and environmental well being into a virtuous circle whereby environmental improvements can be achieved through new urban designs, technologies, products, jobs and economic growth. T