disaster ready Tokyo

one structure, one lot

Despite the small lots, the houses are invariably detached and line up side-by-side with a narrow gap between them. In Japan, this is due to an ordinance stipulating that only one structure can be built on a lot, and a civil law that requires the exterior wall to be set 0.5 meters back from the edge of the lot. Though the size of the houses is the same in a subdivision, there is a vast range of subtly different colors and shapes. Hiroshi Naito has described this type of landscape as "spineless," but a subdivision that has done its utmost to express its individuality within plots of land of the same size is indicative of the fact that an egalitarian civil society and a functioning democracy exist in Japan. Yet, at the same time, within this standardized community, people remain divided and isolated.

from Tokyo Metabolizing

intro

I am travelling as a student with the Pratt Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development to Tokyo, Japan between the dates of May 24th and June 10th, 2012.

While in Tokyo, we will be learning about physical planning as it is practised in Japan as well as researching aspects of public space and how it is used.

My group will examine formal aspects of Tokyo public space, and I hope to use this blog to record my experiences and help serve as a living notebook for our work while in country and in the follow up work we'll undertake over the rest of the summer.