The practicum, “THE RESILIENT CITIES AND TOWNS OF JAPAN,” aims to examine the complex challenges of urban and rural shrinkage in Japan, including depopulation, aging populations, and disaster risks. Led by Professor of Urban Design and Public Policy Brent D. Ryan and in collaboration with Professor Takefumi Kurose, Professor Kenichi Yabuki, and Kyushu University, the practicum is open to MCP students, with priority given to MCP students who need practicum credit for graduation and to MCP students with relevant skill sets and interests. The practicum will engage with local communities at different scales in Kyushu to understand the impact of top-down measures from the government and grassroots measures being taken for communities.
The practicum is client-based research and interacts with local communities and stakeholders. Students will engage with local communities and regional stakeholders involved in drafting planning policies for the Location Optimization Plan and mobility technology introductions at the sites. The course will have an interdisciplinary teaching team, organizing site visits, meetings with stakeholders, lectures, and workshops in several locations in Kyushu. Students will learn about built environment planning strategies, methods to map and visualize small towns, and normative frameworks to guide development trajectories.
The project aims to provide insights into the effectiveness and issues of various policies and initiatives implemented by local governments in Japan to address the challenges faced by shrinking cities, promoting social and physical resilience. Students will produce comprehensive reports documenting their observation and analysis of shrinking cities in Japan, including planning proposals that provide guidance on how to promote social and physical resilience in built environments. Students will produce presentations and reports that share their findings with the wider academic community, facilitate educational exchanges between students and practitioners in Japan and other countries, and organize a presentation to academic partners and community members in a shrinking city of Japan.
Overall, the practicum will enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the complex challenges faced by shrinking cities in Japan and the innovative solutions being developed to address them. Additionally, the project can provide guidance on best practices in urban planning and development, promoting social and physical resilience, and bridging the gaps between top-down and bottom-up approaches to urban planning and development.
Can Be Repeated for Credit
No