ABSTRACT
Kyoto is on the verge of extinction as a historic city. Although wars, great fires, and natural disasters frequently devastated the ancient capital of Kyoto, it was always able to rebuild and reestablish itself as the great cultural center of Japan. The destruction during the last half of this century, however, is not a result of war or disaster but of unchecked development, and Kyoto's ability to maintain its status as a great historic city is in question. Just over fifty years ago, during World War II, Japan's urban areas were targeted for bombing. The U.S. military decided not to bomb Kyoto because it recognised the importance of Kyoto's cultural and architectural heritage. Kyoto was spared the destruction of war but suffered greatly from the indiscriminate destruction that came later as a result of the postwar economic boom. The insensitive and haphazard development of the last thirty years has devastated the harmonious quality that was found on the streets and in the communities of the ancient capital.
