Urban Design Laboratory, The University of Tokyo

04/07/2016

In the town of a new urban design center was opened that is to support the community recovery process!

19/03/2016

“Climate change is presenting unprecedented threats to communities across the country.
Rebuild By Design is a model for how we can use public-private partnerships to spur innovation, protect our communities from the effects of climate change, and inspire action in cities across the world.”

Download a full copy of the book Rebuild by Design and learn how to create more resilient, strong, adaptable communities in the face of and more requent -- > rebuildbydesign.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/book/03_RBD_LowRes_Single.pdf

“Climate change is presenting unprecedented
threats to communities across the country.
Rebuild By Design is a model for how we
can use public-private partnerships to spur
innovation, protect our communities from
the effects of climate change, and inspire
action in cities across the world.”

Download a high-resolution copy of the book Rebuild by Design and learn how to create more resilient, strong, adaptable communities in the face of and more requent -- > rebuildbydesign.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/book/03_RBD_LowRes_Single.pdf

03/03/2016

[ EVENT ] Urban Design Lab. Public Space Lecture Series 18-19th March 2016

The Urban Design Laboratory is inviting primal public space
designers and researcher from New York City and hosting Tokyo Public Space Lecture Series.

[DAY1] March 18th (Fri.) 16:00 to 17:30
'Approaches to Public Space' by the founders of WXY and Design Trust
for Public Space

[DAY2] March 19th (Sat.) 15:00 to 17:30
‘Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience’

Venue: Lounge 222, 14th engineering building 2F, Hongo campus, the University of Tokyo.
Map: https://goo.gl/vgHQKB

The events are free of charge, don’t require registration and are open to the public.

Detailed Program:

[DAY 1] March 18th (Fri.) 16:00 to 17:30

As an architect and urbanist, Ms. Claire Weisz has founded the
prominent non-profit organization, Design Trust for Public Space,
which bridges public and private sector in numerous public space
projects including the Highline and Times Square Plaza. She is also
the founding principal of WXY architecture + urban design based in New
York.
This lecture will focus on approaches to public space through
experiences in New York and discuss ways to tackle historical public
spaces in Tokyo.

Program:

16:00- 17:00 Lecture
Ms. Claire Weisz, founding principal, WXY architecture + urban design,
co-founder of Design Trust for Public Space
Mr. Mark Yoes, founding principal, WXY architecture + urban design

17:00-17:30 Discussions and Q & A
Ms. Claire Weisz
Mr. Mark Yoes
Associate Professor, Naoto Nakajima, Department of Urban Engineering,
the University of Tokyo
Assistant Professor Christian Dimmer, Department of Urban Engineering,
the University of Tokyo

[DAY2] March 19th (Sat.) 15:00 to 17:30

The Urban Design Laboratory and Public Space Lab invite Jerold
Kayden. He is the Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning &
Design at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. His
research and teaching focus on the relationship between law and the
built environment and public-private urban development.
Among other books, he authored ‘Privately Owned Public Space: The New
York City Experience’ and founded ‘Advocates for Privately Owned
Public Space’ (http://apops.mas.org/), a non-profit organization based
in New York City whose mission is to improve zoning-created plazas,
arcades, and indoor spaces.

Prof. Kayden’s lecture will provide an overview of incentive zoning
and the production of POPS in New York City as well as of the
inventory that his team created together with the NYC City Planning
Department and the Municipal Art Society. Furthermore, he will share
his experience with the recently completed, civil society-based
monitoring system for these privately owned public spaces.

Program:

15:00- 16:00
Lecture: Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience
Jerold Kayden, Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning &
Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design

16:00-16:30
Privately Owned Public Space: The Tokyo Experience
Tomokazu Arita, Professor for Land Use Planning, Engineering
Faculty, Division of Policy & Planning Sciences, University of Tsukuba

16:30-17:00
Building Common Ground: Outlining a Comparative POPS Research Agenda
Christian Dimmer, Assist-Prof. for Urban Design, Department of Urban
Engineering, the University of Tokyo

17:00-17:30 Discussion and Q & A
Discussant: Naoto Nakajima, Assoc-Prof. for Urban Design, Department
of Urban Engineering, the University of Tokyo

10/02/2016

[ EVENT ] 国際シンポジウム"Improving Policy and Practice on Return Migration after Natural Disasters”開催のお知らせ｜March 4, 2016｜Tokyo, International House of Japan

大地震や大津波による避難者の中には、元の居住地に戻り得る状態になっても、 帰還する事を望まない人々が少なからず存在します。そのような状態は、元の居 住地の過疎化、避難者を受け入れた地域での学校の定員超過、医療施設の不足、 避難者と以前からの住民の摩擦などの問題を生じさせます。

本国際シンポジウムでは、「帰還を望まない避難者」が発生する原因とその解決 策について、アジアでの3つの大災害を事例とした国際共同研究から得られた知 見が発表されると共に、討議が行われます。興味をお持ちの方はぜひご参加下さい。

日時：2016年3月4日（金）午後1時から午後5時まで（予定）
会場：東京都港区・国際文化会館（アクセスは下記ウェブサイト参照）・セミ ナー403/404室
http://www.i-house.or.jp/access.html
主催：東京大学大学院・新領域創成科学研究科・国際協力学専攻
参加費：無料
申込：必要
言語：英語のみ（同時通訳なし）
参加申し込み先：[email protected]

==========
International Symposium "Improving Policy and Practice on Return Migration after Natural Disasters"

13:00 – 17:00, Friday 4 March 2016, International House of Japan, Tokyo, Japan

Organized by:
Dept. of International Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo
Hirono Town, Fukushima, Japan

Provisional Agenda
13:00 - 13:10 Opening Remarks (by Satoshi Endo)
13:10 - 13:20 Welcome Address (by Riki Honda)
13:20 - 13:40 Refugees Unwilling to Return (by Mikiyasu Nakayama)
13:40 - 14:10 To Return or Not: Long-Term Displacement of Hirono Town Residents. (by Carl Bruch)
14:10 - 14:40 Return Migration in the Aftermath of West Sumatra’s 2009 Earthquake: Some Findings from Household Survey (by Syafruddin Karimi)
14:40 - 15:00 Break
15:00 - 15:30 Factors affecting the satisfaction of resettlers in the long term: A case study on resettlement sites of Tsunami-affected communities in Sri Lanka (by Jagath Manatunge)
15:30 - 16:00 Dialogue Analysis Using a Text Mining Approach: Case Study on Hirono Town (by Madoka Chosokabe)
16:00 - 16:50 Discussions [Guest Commentator: Mikio Ishiwatari]
16:50 - 17:00 Closing Remarks
=====
Chairperson: Ryo Fujikura, Faculty of Humanity and Environment, Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan

Opening Remarks: Satoshi Endo, Mayor, Hirono Town, Fukushima, Japan

Welcome Address: Riki Honda, Head, Department on International Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo

Speakers:
- Mikiyasu Nakayama, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan
- Carl Bruch, International Programs, Environmental Law Institute, Washington DC, U.S.A.
- Syafruddin Karimi, Center for Economic Research and Institutional Development, Andalas University, Padang, Indonesia
- Jagath Manatunge, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
- Madoka Chosokabe, Institution of Social Collaboration and Research Partnership, Wakayama University, Japan

Guest Commentator: Mikio Ishiwatari, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan

05/02/2016

TOMORROW Symposium in :

[ EVENT ] Upcoming Symposium 'Reconstruction Design in Times of Depopulation,' featuring many colleagues of us from Tokyo University｜Feb.6, 2016, 10:00 - 17:00｜ The University of Tokyo / UTokyo, Kashiwa no Ha Campus｜Participation free, registration required

復興デザインフォーラム「縮退の復興デザイン」

01/02/2016

This American Institute of Architects resport is an excellent resource on and what it means for and professionals:

http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab108004.pdf

21/01/2016

津波被災地で続く工事費­の高騰に関するニュース。宮古市田老の老舗菓子店の場合について取材されています。

『復興の槌音　工事費の高騰が住宅などの再建を阻んでいます。』
2016年1月14日・岩手めんこいテレビ(動画):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0-pNu8lNas
via 東日本大震災　復興情報ページ

復興の槌音(つちおと)。14日は、被災地で本格化する、住宅などの再建を阻む工事費の高騰をお伝えします。岩手・宮古市では、店舗の再建を白紙に戻した老舗菓子店があるなど、深刻化する問題の背景を取材しました。

20/01/2016

We would like to bring to your attention the following future center seminar in that is co-organised by our Assistant Prof. Christian Dimmer (Engl. Text below)

「気仙沼国際オープンセミナー 2016 - 海と生きる未来を創る@GENBA(現場)」

【主催】: マリールイーズ・ヨーナス (王立メルボルン工科大学)
　オーストラリア政府機関豪日交流基金 助成プロジェクト

【日時】:
・2016年1月29日(金)10:00am(9:30am受付開始)- 5:00pm
　　終日セミナー・ディスカッション

・1月30日(土) 9:30am(9:10am受付開始)-4:30pm
　　午前 セミナー・ディスカッション
　　午後 現場視察

・併設イベント　2016年1月31日(日)1:30pm-5:0pm
　気仙沼市本吉町前浜地区復興現場視察
　「海から見える日本(と前浜)だっつぞ！」いっとぎ懇談会
　「海と生きる未来を創る@GENBA国際・全員・ネットワーク」構想会議

【場所】: 気仙沼市 「海の市」会議室 入場: 無料

【言語】: 日本語 (和英通訳有り)

【参加登録】:
当日参加も可能ですが、資料印刷等の都合上、事前に、当イベントページでの参加表明、または、お名前、団体名、参加人数、現場視察バス利用希望 の有無を[email protected] (担当: 後藤) までお送り願います。

【セミナー趣旨】:
- 海外発の社会形成キーワード 「持続可能性」「レジリエンス」「ソーシャル・イノベーション」の意味を理解して日本発キーワード「GENBA(現場)」の意義、価値、魅力を確認する

【講師】(確定者のみ順不同、敬称略)
・マリールイーズ・ヨーナス(オーストラリアRMIT大学)
・バーバラ・ハートリー (タスマニア大学アジア研究所)
・土方正夫(早稲田大学)
・中村明寛(タスマニア大学・明治大学)
・廣瀬俊介(東京大学)
・クリスチャン・ディマー(東京大学)

『International Open Seminar
Kesennuma Living with Sea - Future Proofing』
Convenor: Dr Marieluise Jonas
(RMIT)
funded by Australia Japan Foundation, Government of Australia
Time: 29 Jan 2016 10:00am-5:00pm
30 Jan 2016 9:30am- 4:30pm
side event 31 Jan 2016 1:30pm-5:00pm
Place: Kesennuma Umi no Ichi (The Sea Market) Convention Centre (29/30).

Admission: Free
Registration: Email to [email protected] with name, institution/organisation, number of participants and whether or not you would like to participate in the bus tour on 30 Jan.

Confirmed Speakers (in no particular order)
Dr Marieluise Jonas (RMIT, Australia)
Dr Barbara Hartley (University of Tasmania, Asia Institute)
Dr Masao Hijikata (Waseda University)
Dr Nakamura (University of Tasmania/ Meji University)
Mr Shunsuke Hirose (Tokyo University)
Dr Christian Dimmer (Tokyo University)
Ms Hiroko Otsuka (Sea the Future!)

How do Tohoku communities carve out alternative futures? Emphasising intercultural perspectives and global consciousness, researchers from in- and outside Japan as well as participants from around will get together to embark on a dialogue on how to future-proof their community, how to make them more sustainable, resilience, and livable, depite the massive socio-economic and demographic challenges to come. The seminar is the first step towards building up a mutual learning platform, where citizens learn from fellow citizens. International researchers share optimistic and innovative community-driven projects from Germany, Australia and the Tohoku Region where 25 trillion-yen reconstruction efforts of the 2011 Tsunami are entering their 5th year. The program includes open lectures, discussions and local tours followed by informal gatherings for future international networking possibilities. (Funded by RMIT and the Australia Japan Foundation, Government of Australia)

--> Please find further details here --> https://www.facebook.com/events/903846702998616/

--> Please see also --> https://afterlandscape.wordpress.com/

15/01/2016

[ EVENT ] Upcoming Symposium 'Reconstruction Design in Times of Depopulation,' featuring many colleagues of us from Tokyo University｜Feb.6, 2016, 10:00 - 17:00｜ The University of Tokyo / UTokyo, Kashiwa no Ha Campus｜Participation free, registration required

復興デザインフォーラム「縮退の復興デザイン」
http://bin.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/dss/event_lc_forum2016.html

日時：2016/2/6（月）10:00-17:00
場所： 東京大学柏キャンパス 新領域環境棟1階 FSホール
〒277-8568 千葉県柏市柏の葉5-1-5
http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/campusmap/cam03_01_06_j.html
柏の葉キャンパス駅(つくばエクスプレス) からバス13分

申し込み：参加希望者は以下の情報をお送りください。
申込先　mail：imoto[at]arch.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp　([at]を＠に変えて送信してくださ
い。)
件名：2月6日フォーラム参加希望
記入内容：氏名／所属／連絡先アドレス
参加費：無料

プログラム
【午前の部】10:00-12:10　減災・復興実践学修了認定審査会
概要：減災・復興実践学の修了のための審査会を、公開開催します。修士研究の成
果発表と、社会基盤、都市、建築の分野を横断したディスカッションを行います。
10:00　はじめに　羽藤 英二（社会基盤学）
10:10　修士論文発表会
　コーディネータ　井本 佐保里（建築学）
　グループ１講評　黒瀬 武史（都市工学）
　グループ２講評　福島 秀哉（社会基盤学）
　 グループ３講評　小山 毅（建築学）
12:00　全体講評　羽藤×井本×黒瀬×福島×小山
12:10　ポスターセッション ／ ランチ休憩

【午後の部】13:00-17:00　縮退の復興デザイン
概要：建設系三専攻＋新領域の実務者および研究者をお招きし、縮退社会の中でどの
ような復興デザインが可能か、実践に基づいた議論を行います。
13:00　はじめに　原田 昇（都市工学）
13:10　基調講演　内藤 廣（東京大学名誉教授）
14:00　復興デザイン研究体　活動報告
　復興デザイン研究体の活動＋南相馬市小高区での取り組み　窪田 亜矢（都市工
学）
　陸前高田市における高齢者施設のデザインと復興　大月 敏雄（建築学）
　海外における巨大水災害　田島 芳満（社会基盤学）
　広島土砂災害の今〜被災１年半後の現状と課題〜　山根 啓典（復建調査設計株式
会社）
　火山噴火災害に対する復興デザイン研究の応用　臼杵 伸浩（アジア航測株式会
社）
15:00　パネルディスカッション　コーディネータ　本田 利器（新領域）
15:10　実践の経験から　中井 祐（社会基盤学）×千葉 学（建築学）×出口 敦（新
領域）
15:40　各専攻から　大月×田島×窪田 ＝ 建築、土木、都市の限界
15:55　議論　中井×千葉×出口 ×大月×田島×窪田
16:40　コメント　内藤 廣
17:00　閉会

閉会後、簡単な懇親会を予定しています。併せてご参加ください。

18/12/2015

For those of you interested in reconstruction and coastal protections in Japan: This 21-page PDF provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of construction along hundreds of kilometers of coast. As many of the projects are nearing completion on can get a grasp now of the enormous interventions that are being made into coastal communities and natural eco systems in the name of tsunami safety.

--> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxoxSvPGDhLwcGNjeEtiU0pxTWc/view (PDF)
--> Here's an updated version of the report, reflecting the situation in December 2015: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxoxSvPGDhLwamNOS0xIQ1ViZzA/view (pdf)

14/11/2015

In this The Japan Times piece Urban Design Laboratory, The University of Tokyo's assistant professor Christian Dimmer is reflecting on the potentials of social design for mobilising non-expert citizens in public policies and the making of resilient, sustainable future communities:

"While most government documents are boring, or perhaps deliberately incomprehensible to deter overly inquisitive citizens from interfering with policy making, the success of “Tokyo Bosai” indicates how design can mobilize citizens for important public matters. Design is now being employed by many socially engaged advocacy groups in Japan, from curator Fram Kitagawa’s sprawling regional art events to small-scale local revitalization projects where designers and craftsmen pair to raise interest in dwindling traditions and novel products.

There is great potential if progressive (local) governments broadly embrace social design. Attractive and well-worded policy documents could render complex governance issues comprehensible and invite the public into much needed dialogue about creating sustainable, inclusive, resilient, livable and lovable future communities."

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2015/11/07/books/book-reviews/guide-disaster-survival-good-design/ #.Vj7gVMp13Y0

'The medium is the message" — with that famous 1964 phrase, communication theorist Marshall McLuhan emphasized that societies are influenced just as

28/10/2015

Our Assistant-Prof. Christian Dimmer will be speaking at the University of Southern California, USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences on "Beyond 3.11: Place-Making and Social Design in Post-Disaster, Post-Growth Japan"｜Thursday, March 24, 2016｜18:00 - 20:00｜University Park Campus｜East Asian Seminar Room (110C), Doheny Memorial Library｜110C

Abstract: In the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, though many had initially hoped for a broad renaissance of social and political life, the persistence of Japan’s political deadlock and segmented administrative landscape stymied far-reaching socio-political reform and swift reconstruction. But while pessimism might be warranted on a macro-political level or by an examination of the actual, seemingly slow recovery process, the cataclysmic disaster has arguably also spurred strong positive energies in the place- and space-forming disciplines, accelerating the emergence of a new, holistic domain of social design.

This might have far-reaching implications for how future communities will be designed, built, and governed by architects, artists, community designers, makers, and citizens. In this conversation, Professors Dimmer and Bharne will explore how 3.11 has accelerated a fusion of and blurring between these different place-making domains, contributing to the emergence of a comprehensive field of social design that has become more contextual, participatory and open than in the past.

3.11 has been often depicted as a hallmark event and critical juncture for Japan, but did it really create entirely new place-making practices from scratch? What is the role of 3.11 for the fusion of the different design domains and what are the other drivers? Why did 3.11 lead to an unprecedented collaboration of many different creative domains? And what are the established alternative place-making practices that existed earlier and co-emerged with the post-disaster situation?

http://dornsife.usc.edu/events/site/192/917191/

Professor Christian Dimmer (University of Tokyo) and Professor Vinayak Bharne (University of Southern California) in Conversation.