The Project and the Territory

Using the concept of the project as idea and implementation, this seminar considered contemporary urbanization both reflectively and prospectively. Analyzing the development of Japanese cities and regions through the lens of their encounters with disruption (events such as WWII, the Tokyo Olympics Games, the bubble economy, the Kobe and Tohoku earthquakes) and continuity, we attempted to reimagine future relations between the physical and social worlds.

The hybrid and multi-representational method of the seminar included discussions of architecture, urban design, technology, theory and practice, infrastructure, nature, institutions, and memory, as well as the ecologies of literary and visual culture. These themes were developed through presentations, discussions, and interviews with guest speakers on diverse topics such as films, manga, photography, and other visual materials. The work presented by the students is primarily propositional in character and focuses on a wide range of themes linked to the future of urbanization. A selection of this work is presented below.