ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how a mysterious spatial element controls the evolution of a common Eastern urban supergrid and superblock structure in China and Japan; and while sharing the same origin, why the superblock components in the two countries present generally different morphologies. The supergrid and superblock structure in China has seen many changes over time: Luli, Lifang/Shifang, Xiangfang, and Jiefang from the earliest Chinese settlement to the present. With the different experiences of contextual change, in contemporary China the supergrid and superblock structures have evolved into relatively closed systems compared with more open ones in Japan. Shelton is the first study of the supergrid and superblock structure in contemporary Japanese cities. Ancient Japanese city planning was heavily influenced by Chinese planning methods, and the supergrid and superblock structure is one of the most important planning models that was introduced to Japan.
