Located adjacent to Fukuoka's entertainment
district, and between the commercial business district and retail
core, The
Jerde Partnership's Canal City Hakata
is the largest private development in the history of Japan ($1.4
billion for 234,460 m² (2.5-million sq. ft.)). Aside from
these facts Canal City is fascinating for its approach to design
at an urban scale and the relationship between commerce and the
city. The basic design, commercial and other tenants overlooking
the main canal artery, breaks down the scale of the development,
creating unique districts within the whole, expressing commerce
as a social generator.
