Objectives of the Urban Typhoon Workshop

The Urban Typhoon workshop invites students of the city and practitioners from Japan and abroad to brainstorm on the future of Shimokitazawa and alternative communities around the world.

Workshop participants will investigate the cultural identity of Shimokitazawa, in the metropolitan, national, and global context. Participants must have the workshop's “client” in mind. The client is the community of Shimokitazawa and other communities facing similar issues around the world.

The workshop will raise the awareness of the government and the general public of the importance of preserving the rich cultures of Shimokitazawa. It should also lead to a better understanding of the political potential of counter-cultural groups such as those active in Shimokitazawa. Participants will produce a multimedia and multidisciplinary portrait of Shimokitazawa today. What are the differences between neighborhoods such as Shibuya and Harajuku and Shimokitazawa? What are the connections between the historical street layout of Shimokitazawa and its cultural atmosphere? What role alternative communities play in contemporary cities such as Tokyo?

In addition, the workshop will produce alternative proposals for the urban design of Shimokitazawa. These proposals will be published online, and reviewed by the public. Participants will take into consideration the local character of the neighborhood and the interests of the stakeholders and the broader context of Tokyo. The workshop's outcome will help local community groups and progressive governments to elaborate new strategies, mobilize broad constituencies, and put participatory planning into practice.

Urban Typhoon is an experiment in global team working and participatory design. Workshop units are encouraged to integrate the residents of Shimokitazawa into their research and work whenever it is possible. All units will show the work they produced to the public during an all night presentation on Thursday 29 starting at 7 pm in Alley Hall, Shimokitazawa. Various occasions will be provided during the workshop for informal interactions between the participants, such as dinners and parties.