“Cities have always been places where production and commerce, working and living are physically and functionally integrated. Only with the rise of modern industry have zoning regulations been introduced to separate these functions in space. However, what is the role of such regulations when industry is digitized increasingly emission-free, and based on innovation more than mass production? How should working and living be combined to make mobility and energy consumption become more sustainable? And what are the opportunities in creating urban areas based on social equity and resilience, in a volatile world characterized by digital disruption, migration and demographic shifts?” (The Industrious City, Edited by Hiromi Hosoya and Markus Schaefer, 2021, Lars Müller Publisher).
This course will question how to balance the ecological and social imperatives of our time with the economic and aesthetic functions of cities, especially in the unpredictable future. There are no easy answers to this question, but in pursuit of this topic, we will investigate a wide range of urban and architectural theories, technologies, and practices. We will reflect upon histories in the development of architecture, infrastructure, and urban planning to provide a context for analyzing the contemporary city as a complex system.
Throughout the course, practitioners and theorists from various design disciplines will be invited to examine case studies from Japan and around the world. The topics will be wide in range, from aesthetics, demographic change, and design, to energy use, economics, and social patterns as they affect the processes and outcomes of urbanization. Students are encouraged to debate and exchange ideas of the concepts presented and to form and express their own opinions. These workshops will aim to develop the students’ practical skills as well as challenge their critical thinking.