This paper examines the role of land readjustment (LR) projects in suburban planning and land development in a case-study area in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. LR projects have been the most important planning tool in Japan, yet the results of their use to develop over 30 per cent of Japanese urban areas have been little examined. The paper challenges the conventional wisdom that LR projects are an effective means of preventing urban sprawl. Through interviews with local planners and participants in projects, and a detailed GIS mapping of land-use change and infrastructure development in the case-study area, the research presents an in-depth study of the use of LR for suburban land development, and a close look at the patterns of urbanisation on the fringe of Japan's most dynamic metropolitan region. It appears that while LR projects do clearly prevent sprawl within the project areas themselves, they tend to exacerbate problems of sprawl at the scale of the city and region.
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