日本語

Don't sacrifice the environment and cut down much-loved cherry trees for the sake of a Flower Expo！ Respect the wishes of the local citizens, and rethink plans to develop the Kamiseya area.

 

Plans to cut down the cherry trees along Kaigun Road in the Kamiseya area of Yokohama need to be reconsidered！
The existing natural environment at the former site of the Kamiseya communications facility needs to be preserved.
Lead and other soil contamination that could pose a health hazard needs to be remediated.
The forecasted number of visitors for the planned horticultural exhibition is not feasible and needs to be rethought.
Local citizens should be asked for their opinions on the development of the site.
Plans for the Yokohama International Horticultural Exposition 2027 (Flower Expo) need to go back to the drawing board.

 

1　Don't cut down the rows of cherry trees！
Cutting down the rows of cherry trees goes against the SDGs, which is one of the objectives of the Flower Expo.
Even if the cherry trees are cut down and the Kaigun Road is widened, there will still be traffic jams because all the connecting roads will not have been widened.
We demand the preservation of the rows of cherry blossom trees, which are a symbol of Kamiseya and are familiar not only to residents but also to many other citizens.

2　"Urban development" should make the most of the natural beauty of Kamiseya！
This area, which is 52 times the size of the Tokyo Dome, is blessed with abundant water and soil and is home to many rare species of plants and animals.
The development of this land by investing huge amounts of taxpayers' money to culvert rivers, destroy rice paddies, cut down trees and clear land is destructive to plant and animal life and the environment as a whole.
We call for a review of the plan for 'urban planning' in a way that is in line with the SDGs.

3　Early restoration of lead and other soil contamination！
Lead, arsenic and other toxic substances have been detected at 66 sites (10 more sites to be surveyed in 2021) on state-owned land alone on the former site of the Kamiseya communications facility returned from the US military.
The government has not yet decided on the cost burden, and in its haste to get the site ready for the Flower Expo, it has not yet taken appropriate measures or even announced the disposal method. There are concerns about health hazards to residents.
We demand that all contaminated sites are remediated and that the methods and related data are made public.

4　Don't make traffic worse！
The Flower Expo Association's stated number of anticipated paying visitors is 10 million.
Due to lack of anyone interested in operating it, it seems unlikely that any new transportation system will be built, and thus shuttle buses are envisaged as the main means of transport at the site. Even if the cherry blossom trees are cut down and Kaigun Road is widened, this will happen only within the former Kamiseya communications facility site, and heavy traffic congestion will not be avoided.
Please review this short-term plan, which will hinder day-to-day life of local residents, and instead develop a long-term transport infrastructure plan.

5　Revise the plan for flower expo costs！
The minimum operating cost of 32 billion yen for the Flower Expo is based on 10 million paying visitors paying an admission fee of 3,500 yen. If the number of paying visitors falls below 10 million, there will be a deficit.
If that happens, the city will bears the burden of making up the deficit. In other words, it will come out of taxpayer money.
We fear that this will be a repeat of Yokohama Y150.
This year's International Horticultural Exposition in Almere (Floriade 2022), the Netherlands, is expected to attract just two million visitors.
Please rethink the reckless cost planning of the Flower Expo.

6　Build what citizens need！
In terms of “urban development”, what the residents of Seya and Asahi wards really want are things like a hospital, a mini-bus, and a disaster prevention center that will improve the area's livability.
Please rethink plans to hold a Flower Expo and the unlikely-to-be-realized plan to construct of a theme park afterwards, both of which ignore the opinions of citizens.

7　Respect the views of the citizens！
The former site of the Kamiseya communications facility is 45.2％ state-owned land, 9.4％ city-owned land and 45.4％ privately-owned land. The plan is to develop the entire area, including privately owned land, with taxpayers' money. It is not only a Yokohama City problem. Also a huge amount of national tax money will be invested in the Flower Expo.
Some Yokohama City Council members have said that the Flower Expo is Yokohama's version of the Olympics. Instead of carefully reviewing this reckless plan, Yokohama City is trying to increase its name recognition and likability through massive publicity spending.
Please stop disrespecting the lives and future of citizens, and instead listen to their opinions.

Thank you for reading this far.
If you agree with our objections, please sign the petition.

 

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#Donʼtcutdowntherowsofcherrytrees　#TreeHuggers

#InternationalHorticulturalExposition2027

#expo2027　#YokohamaFlowerExpo2027　#NavalRoad

#SaveKamiseya　#SDGs　#横浜　#yokohama

#桜並木を切らないで