A Systematic Review of Provisions for Pedestrian-Level Strong-Wind Assessment in Local Government Eia Ordinances and Technical Guidelines in Japan

This study systematically reviews how wind hazard (pedestrian-level strong wind, building wind) is addressed in Japanese local-government environmental impact assessment (EIA) ordinances and technical guidelines. We surveyed publicly available documents from 47 prefectures and 22 designated cities, and extracted definitions, required procedures, reference-wind descriptions, prediction methods, and evaluation indices. Wind-related items were identified in 11 prefectures, including prefectures in Tokyo Metropolitan area and Osaka, and many designated cities, typically allowing wind-tunnel testing and/or CFD. However, many jurisdictions lacked explicit requirements for reference-wind periods, wind-tunnel-experimental/CFD settings, evaluation criteria, mitigation measures, and post-construction monitoring.