Academic/ Author/ Architect

The IFME 2026 Congress in Helsinki was my first real experience of a big international municipal engineering conference, and I did not expect it to feel so intense and also strangely emotional at t…

Guiding a colleague from New York City through the neighborhoods of Moto-Sumiyoshi offers a compelling lens into how everyday urban spaces in Japan quietly perform complex forms of placemaking, com…

Walking through Auckland during fieldwork offered an opportunity to observe how the city’s public spaces reveal layers of history, transformation, and everyday urban life. Experiencing these distri…

I arrive through Takanawa Gateway Station, and the station is already performing before I even know what I think about it. The station and roof, designed by Kengo Kuma, spread overhead in pale timb…

Looking back at 2025, our work can best be described as careful and sometimes uncertain. Much of what we did emerged from ongoing conversations between research, teaching, and field experience, rat…

Public spaces have a significant impact on social interactions and community dynamics, particularly during times of disruption and change. This study investigates the role of public space in fostering...

Our seminar conducted a fieldtrip to Yanaka, a district in Tokyo celebrated for its nostalgic charm. We began in Ueno at a local soup kitchen supporting unhoused residents. The scene highlighted th…

Empowering, reconnecting people and nature, and intercultural and ancestral education are Indigenous People and Local Community Initiatives that prioritize local tradition and show sustainable outcome...

■関連記事：【前橋】いま”まちづくりB面”が面白い！スーパー市職員が一人で47店開業支援、シャッター街に若い店主が続々衰退する街で始まった官民連携の起死回生劇前橋市は群馬県の県庁所在地であり、人口約3...

The public is concerned but disengaged in the lead up to this week’s U.N. climate meeting.

"These are benefits that extend well beyond electricity prices."

Day 1: Bukchon – A Neighborhood hypergentrified Bukchon presents itself as the careful preservation of Korean hanok architecture, framed by narrow alleys and tiled roofs stretching between Gyeongbo…

Many university officials in Japan believe bringing an international environment onto campus is a cheaper, safer way to produce highly skilled graduates.

Walking through Hamburg and recalling Yokohama this late summer, I felt the strange rhythm of two cities shaped by water, trade, and memory. In the HafenCity the sunlight danced on glass towers, to…

The book town's residents weigh in on their home topping Time Out magazine's “coolest neighborhoods” list.

Der Klimaforscher Mojib Latif wird wütend, wenn er an die vertanen Chancen der Klimapolitik denkt. Hoffnung hat er dennoch, dass sich das Schlimmste noch aufhalten lässt.

The massive new bookstore, with over 100,000 books, offers three cafes where you can choose to hang out for an hour - or even all day.

The library's director said a question box was set up in 2023 to expose teens to diverse ways of thinking 'in today’s social media-centric world.'

The paper focuses on the impacts of urban and cropland expansions on natural habitats in Southeast Asia. The impact of cropland expansion on natural habitats was nearly 16 times greater than that of u...

Lured by the cheap yen, a record 37 million visitors came last year—straining the country’s long tradition of hospitality.

Study finds Japan’s abandoned land is harming wildlife instead of helping it

As Japan's dwindling population increasingly migrates to cities, 450 rural schools close each year. Now, some are being transformed into unique inns.

INCHEON — Korea, Japan and China have agreed to work together to introduce and promote sustainable farming practices and revitalize rural areas fac...

YURIHONJO, Akita -- While Japan's convenience store market may be considered oversaturated in terms of the sheer number of stores, major operator Laws

When the novelist was faced with the decision of whether to pursue fertility treatment or focus on her career, her literary ambitions kicked in

For decades, planners focused on attracting young singles to dense urban cores. That dynamic has shifted, in part because ...

【読売新聞】　国土交通省は３日、ＪＲ・東急線の蒲田駅と京急線の京急蒲田駅を結ぶ「新空港線」（蒲蒲線）について、具体的な事業計画を盛り込んだ「速達性向上計画」を認定した。営業主体となる東急電鉄などは２０３８～４２年の開業を目指している

Japan has the highest ratio of elderly to working-age people in the world — over 50% — meaning there are only two workers for every person over 64.

Today we explored Kawagoe, famously known as “Little Edo,” and immediately the narrow Kurazukuri Street grabbed our attention. The first thing you notice is the crowd – tourists, locals, and bicycl…

Agroforestry systems in Latin America practised by local communities are a boon to biodiversity, according to research

The aim is to strengthen the flow of people from urban to rural areas by encouraging university students in big cities to return to their hometowns after graduation.

<p>Support for the export and overseas expansion of Japanese traditional crafts is included in a basic cocept for regional revitalization approved by the government last month.</p>

Attending a recent Civic, Political and Community Studies conference in Hilo, Hawaii in June 2025 was not only an intellectual experience, but also personally and emotionally meaningful. Held in th…

Viele deutsche Innenstädte wirken wie Orte, die man lieber meidet. Woran liegt das? ZDF-Moderator Christian Sievers will das herausfinden.

One of the more well-known expressways in downtown Tokyo is about to be converted into an elevated pedestrian promenade and greenway, similar to the High Line park in New York City.

Of those who refused to communicate with someone in English, 76.5% said it was due to a lack of confidence.

Taipei’s urban regeneration efforts highlight the complex balance between heritage preservation, economic development, and social sustainability. This report examines three key revitalization proje…