Canal City Hakata

A city in a city, or a theme park in a shopping mall?

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Eternal Spring
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Feelings
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A visitor
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Kids gleefully playing in the water works
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Guliko Candy Shop
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Media
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140 CRTs

Further information:

Canal City Hakata is a commercial complex and has be devised as a city in a city. It was designed in the 1990ies by the Jerde Partnership. The architecture aims to create a spacious and interesting atmosphere with unusual or unique colors and shapes. The artificial canal runs right through the middle of the five floored entertainment complex, creating a lot of open space. It is comparatively green and a popular tourist destination. Canal City is one of the largest private developments in Japan’s history. However, it is in some ways a story that went well.  For a change the installment of a big shopping center led to the survival and rejuventation of the surrounding area, for example of the traditional food marketes in the area which could benefit from the increased flux of potential buyers that were led into the vicinity by Canal City.

This is some further information on the architectural idea or the planning behind the complex and puts it into context with the development of “entertainment malls” on a global scale: