Environmental impact assessment considering local
convenience and lush greenery
Tokyu Construction is working together with the landowner on land use planning that takes the natural environment into account at the outskirts of the city.
The approximately 33-hectare site is within walking distance of a train station and is located in a highly convenient area close to an expressway interchange, with a highway constructed based on urban development plan traversing across the area. On the other hand, the site is bordered by a public forest at its southeastern section and is situated at the entrance to an environment with lush greenery.
In light of these local features, we carried out an environmental impact assessment with environmental conservation in mind during site planning. To make sure that the environmentally conscious plan will be effective, we examined various methods and decided to adopt a method called the Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP)* to quantitatively evaluate changes in plant and animal habitats due to changes in land use.
As part of the process of the actual environmental impact assessment, we held many discussions with advisors and civic groups, and clarified the issues in the implementation plan. We are currently carrying out compensatory measures, such as wetland restoration and maintenance of forests and grassy areas. We ensure that the compensatory measures suit the local features by holding discussions with advisors and civic groups engaged in local environmental conservation activities.
The Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) is a methodology for evaluating ecosystems developed in the United States. An ecosystem is a complex system containing a variety of plants and animals that affect each other and with the extent of their impacts changing over time. HEP makes it possible to compare the value of ecosystems with different land uses by replacing the complex systems with real-world spaces for particular wildlife habitats and evaluating the habitats in terms of quality and quantity.
HEP-based quantitative evaluation of habitat conditions in the development area
- Scenario A
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Adopted compensatory measures in our business plan to take the surrounding environment into account (plan includes waterway facilities that are conscious of aquatic life, wetland restoration, creation of biotopes, etc.)
- Scenario B
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Typical development plan without compensatory measures
- Scenario C
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Development with urban sprawl due to individual land use