Sustainable Project for Preserving a Living Environment in Tochio through Collaboration with Students and Inhabitants in Japan

Abstract

Since 1997, Dr. Shin-ya Nishimura has been developing an actual town planning project named the "Gangi Project". Students, inhabitants and local professionals walk around Omotemachi, examine the characteristics of the environment and the inhabitants' way of life, discuss plans and designs for traditional wooden arcades called locally "gangi". Students and inhabitants build the gangi together every year. The purpose of this study is to clarify how an experimental project aiming to preserve a living environment obtains sustainability as an actual town planning exercise. The research hypothesizes that sustainable town planning should include strategies for financial autonomy, active participation of inhabitants, supports from local professionals, an acceptance of changing environments, and responsible construction. The project has been carried out as a part of actual town planning, and continues to create a daily living environment based on the recent economical and industrial situation of the town. By focusing on the influences of the project on the town and inhabitants, the study has revealed the possibility of an actual town planning with small budget, and importance of a collaborative relationship with various participants in order to foster a sense of responsibility regarding the construction. The project also highlights the implication that sustainable town planning creates not only a participatory system but also a collaborative one in which participants take responsibility for the issues involved in the construction process.