Through the search for a topic in the context of the lecture, I began to study the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. I believe that Kenzo Tange (September 4, 1913 – March 22, 2005) is one of the leading architects of the 20th century as he holds an important position in the field of modern architecture, not only in Japan, but also worldwide. Japan even divided the history of its architecture into two parts: before and after Tange. His architectural activity lasted for 60 years and in 1987 he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. A characteristic of its architecture is the combination of traditional Japanese architecture with purely modern elements. Tange was one of the initiators of the metabolism movement, however he never claimed to be a metabolist. In this research paper, five of his urban planning projects from 1950 to 1970 are analyzed. He characterizes this specific period of his work as his most productive. The projects are analyzed in chronological order and are both theoretical and implemented. Through the study of the specific proposals, it is sought to understand Tanges point of view on urban planning, his planning method, and to identify elements of his philosophy, as he used architecture to create symbols at different scales.

The object of research was the analysis and interpretation of the urban planning work of the architect. The research mainly focuses on the characteristics and particularities of a project with innovative compositional principles, which are found in five of its emblematic propositions. Through the research and analysis carried out initially, the elements that contributed to the formation of the special architectural identity of his work and made it known worldwide were examined. The occasion was the use of architecture in order to create symbols on an urban planning scale, always expressing a deep affinity with traditional Japanese architecture. The methodology adopted in the analysis stage is through bibliographic sources, magazines, publications of the architect himself, audio-visual material, interviews, as well as plans for the understanding and interpretation of the work. The plans formed the background for the decoding of the perceptual organization of the space. As case studies, his five most important urban planning proposals are examined: the Monument to the Greater East Asian Prosperity Sphere 1942, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial 1951, the Tokyo Bay Plan 1960, the reconstruction plan for Skopje 1965 and the urban plan for OSAKA EXPO 1970.