Through a view from the community, this course aims to understand the development of cities and neighborhoods, identify various issues we are facing now, and explore the options that make our living environment better.
Historically the cities were built by the authorities/specialists such as governments, engineers, and architects. They laid out the infrastructure and tried to lead the built environment suitable for certain purposes. In contrast to this “traditional” planning, the ideas that the users, residents, and visitors, discover how they live and use the city, “machizukuri”, has become widely accepted and supported recently. Based on this community-based planning concept, this class will explore and discuss, through interdisciplinary approaches, how we can work with diverse groups of people in a community to find ways to make their cities and neighborhood better: thriving, safe, inclusive, and just.