35°37′26″N139°25′22″E / 35.6239451°N 139.4228727°E /35.6239451; 139.4228727
Tama New Town (多摩ニュータウン,Tama Nyūtaun) is a large residential development, straddling the municipalities ofHachiōji,Tama,Inagi andMachida cities, inTokyo,Japan. It was designed as anew town in 1965. It is approximately 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) long stretching east-west, and between 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) and 3 km (1.9 mi) wide, located in an expanse of hills known asTama Hills about 20 kilometers (12 mi) west of the center of thespecial wards of Tokyo.
It currently has a population of about 200,000, making it the largest housing development in Japan.
During theJapanese post-war economic miracle, a rapid influx of population into Tokyo led land prices to skyrocket, causing many to settle on the cheaper outskirts of the city, leading to an unplanned, rapidurban sprawl. It was feared that, left to its own devices, the uncontrolled expansion of built-up areas would lead to poorly planned communities with insufficient infrastructure to support the population and with poor access to amenities and transport. Tama New Town was planned in 1965 to attempt to ease this pressure by providing hundreds of thousands with housing in a planned, pleasant urban environment. The planning and development was carried out jointly by The Housing and Urban Development Corporation, Tokyo Metropolitan Housing Supply Corporation andTokyo Metropolitan Government.
The original planned population was 342,200, and the designated area was 2,892.1 hectares. Construction began the following year and the first phase opened in 1971. Construction continued in phases for the next few decades.
It is divided into 21 neighborhoods, each with about 3000 to 5000 houses and apartments, each with two elementary schools and one junior high school as well as a neighborhood center with shops,kōban, post office,clinics and the like. Several neighborhoods form one district, each of which are centered on acommuter rail station.
Tama New Town is not a municipality in itself; instead, it straddles the pre-existing boundaries ofTama,Hachiōji,Inagi andMachida cities, and each area is administered by its respective municipal authorities, all of which come under the jurisdiction ofTokyo Metropolis.
The area surrounding theTama Center Station complex, in the municipality of Tama, is the designated center of Tama New Town. The area is separated into business, commercial and leisure zones.
Tama Center Station itself is serviced by theTama Toshi Monorail Line, as well as theKeio Sagamihara andOdakyu Tama Lines which link it toShinjuku Station in central Tokyo. The station complex also includes shopping arcades and a bus terminal.
Other notable hubs in Tama New Town include:
Tama New Town is served by more than ten railway stations, most of them on theKeio Sagamihara Line andOdakyu Tama Line, both of which provide a direct service toShinjuku Station in central Tokyo.JR Nambu Line andTama Toshi Monorail Line also serve the area.
Tama New Town is home to 16university andcollegecampuses.
Tama Television (TTV) is a cable TV and internet provider, servicing the Tama New Town area as well as other parts of Tama and Inagi municipalities, and has its own channel providing community news and the like.
FM Tama G-Wind (77.6 MHz/10W) is the radio station dedicated to the local area.
