6 months
A six-month long-term program conducted from September 2023 to March 2024
32 participants
Through an open call, 32 talented individuals with diverse backgrounds participated
3 phases
Phase 1 involved lectures, research, and ideation; Phase 2 focused on production; and Phase 3 implemented the project in the city
Overview
Urbanist Camp is a platform for learning and experimentation, designed to cultivate the skills necessary for the next generation of urbanists — people who actively create and reimagine urban life.
Collaborating with YAU (Yurakucho Art Urbanism), a hub connecting artists and cities through the theme of art urbanism, participants practically learned skills necessary for envisioning future cities through a program combining lectures and hands-on activities.
Over six months, participants engaged with the theme “Rewilding: How can we create places where living things can be themselves?” in Tokyo's Otemachi–Marunouchi–Yurakucho area (“Daimaruyu” district). The program consisted of lectures and research/ideation (Phase 1), creation (Phase 2), and installation/evaluation in the city (Phase 3).
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How can we create spaces where all living beings can exist more naturally?
The Otemachi–Marunouchi–Yurakucho (Daimaruyu) area, once open fields, has been transformed by human creativity into a dense and sophisticated urban landscape. Yet, in doing so, it also seems to have created a distance between human and non-human bodies.
The global concept of re-wilding seeks to restore our innate physicality and vitality, often lost in cities designed for efficiency and control. It also calls for coexistence with other species — nurturing urban biodiversity.
Through this program, participants explore how to reconnect humans, non-humans, and the land itself by designing and temporarily implementing interfaces for re-wilding in the city.
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✍️Phase1 - Lecture, Research & Ideation
In the first phase, we held a series of lectures and workshops in the first half, followed by research and group-based idea development in the second half.
Through the lectures and workshops, we explored themes such as re-wilding, the lives of non-human species in the city, and ways of reconnecting with our own bodies. These sessions sparked a wide range of discussions: What exactly is “re-wilding”? Who is it for? What kind of “wildness” are we seeking?
We also learned to observe the city from the perspective of non-human beings, deepening our discussions on how a diverse range of species—and humans—might coexist within the urban environment.
Guest lectures
We invited guest speakers whose work aligns with the program’s theme and held a series of lectures and workshops.
- Yumiko Kageura｜Movement Medicine Practitioner
- Body Workshop: Movement Medicine — Reconnecting Your Body and the World
- Yoshiki Harada｜Landscape Designer / Urban Ecologist
- Lecture theme: Re-wilding; An exploration of global trends and academic foundations of re-wilding, followed by a reflection on what re-wilding could mean in our own context.
- Yasuhiro Adachi｜Producer, NHK “Darwin’s Amazing Animals” / “Wildlife”
- Lecture theme: How Do Animals Perceive the City?
- Hirotaka Matsui｜Arborist / Ecological Urban Development Association (Ecoczzeria Association)
- Lecture theme: How Non-Human Species Experience the City, and Designing for Coexistence
- Guided Biodiversity Tour in the Daimaruyu district
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Research & Ideation
In the second half of Phase 1, teams of four conducted research and developed proposals for “re-wilding” in the Yurakucho area. As they worked toward implementing their ideas, participants learned approaches and practical tips for ideation, design, and prototyping. They continued refining their concepts while preparing for the final presentations.
At the Phase 1 final presentations, all eight teams shared their work—introducing the background of their ideas, the research questions they explored, and the proposals they developed.
💡Phase 2 - Creation
In Phase 2, the ideas developed in Phase 1 were further refined and brought into actual production.
Architect and artist Eugene Soler, serving as our design and production partner, presented design proposals based on the Phase 1 presentations and discussions. Through conversations with the participating urbanists, these ideas were shaped into a concrete design plan.
As a result, the team decided to create a re-wilding-inspired mobile stall(Yatai).
In designing the project, we considered three key factors—people, non-human species, and the environment—aiming to create positive impacts for all of them. This process led to the development of three modular units, each with a distinct size and sensory focus:
L size: centered on touch
M size: centered on taste and smell
S size: centered on sound
The production was carried out by Eugene Soler and a team of installation specialists, with support from for Cities and the participating urbanists who worked alongside them.
📣Phase 3 - Installation & Evaluation
In Phase 3, we carried out the actual urban installation and evaluated its impact.
From March 4 to 23, 2024, we presented the exhibition “YATAI — A Place in the City to Awaken the Senses,” featuring a total of four modules—one focused on touch and three focused on smell and taste—along with a workshop-based sound module. Throughout the exhibition period, we also hosted various events and workshops, including an opening talk, a sound-walk workshop, and a dance performance.
For the impact assessment, we collaborated with Dr. Takahiro Yamazaki, Project Lecturer at the University of Tokyo. Evaluation included surveys and questionnaires for visitors.
You can read the results of the impact assessment here (in Japanese).
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Collaborators
Eugene Soler｜Architect / Artist
Eugene Soler is an Australian Architect and installation artist based in Nara Japan. His installation work is site-specific and touches on lost or forgotten feelings and deep dormant memories. He often uses subtleties in nature as a material like the soft warmth of sunlight in the morning or the subtle voice of wind to create spatial experiences.
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Takahiro Yamazaki, Ph.D｜Project Lecturer, University of Tokyo
Specializes in the field of landscape architecture. Research theme: Urban Nature (the relationship between people and nature in cities).
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Organizers: for Cities (Yukako Ishikawa, Mariko Sugita, Alena Tsukamoto)
Yurakucho Art Urbanism [YAU]
Exhibition Design: Eugene Carlos Soler (Architect / Artist)
Advisory: Takahiro Yamazaki (Project Lecturer, The University of Tokyo)
Collaborators: Ecoczzeria Association, Studio KOTOBA
Illustration: nico ito
Graphic Design: Slogan
Guest Lecturers: Yasuhiro Adachi, Yumiko Kageura, Yoshiki Harada, Hirotaka Matsui
Installers: Yasushi Aizawa, Motomi Kuroda, Makoto Nagai
Exhibition Venue:
Slit Park YURAKUCHO