English "The Renovation of the Historical City from the Perspective of Ecosystems"- Kawagoe Saraswati Bystreet (JAPAN)An international workshop of Tsukuba University  with Université Grenoble Alpes  and Aalto University
INTRO Cities are the most complex ecosystems of people and human-made objects, and theyhave their own cultural and historical dynamics.After the rapid modernization of the 20th century, the challenge of urban planning in Japan in the 21st century is to reassess cultural history and reconcile it with modernization.The foundations of the city are based on the natural ecosystem. This also has its owndynamic.Modernization has radically separated the human ecosystem from natural ecosystems, but reassess natural ecosystems and reconciling them with cities is also a problem.In this project, we will reassess the relationship between cultural history and natural ecosystems, and propose the design of urban micro-environments and services that restoresimultaneously the relationship between the two. The targeted site is Saraswati Street in Kawagoe (Benten Yokocho). 
Kawagoe is located about 30 km northwest of Tokyo. Kawagoe is the only historic town in theTokyo metropolitan area to have retained the landscape of a castle city, and it developed inclose relationship with the natural ecosystem.Saraswati Bystreet was once the home of Geishas (Okiya) and one of the bases of the culture ofKawagoe lounges.Using Saraswati Bystreet as a focal point, the aim of this project is to propose the design of aspace and a system that will enrich urban life by simultaneously solving the problems ofhuman and artificial ecosystems and the city's natural ecosystem, and activating both. 
The observation of the area of Kawagoe Saraswati Bystreet has drawn those constatations: On the Culture and history  point of view.Some strengths come from the Buildings and the communities. The problems are due to space re-use due to evolution of the role of secondary streets, to aging buildings, the loss of common goods due to changes in regimes land, loss of memory of the streets, transformation into touristic destination. On the Natural ecosystem point of view, strengths are in the lanes and vacant lots with plants and trees scattered in the alley, vegetation scattered on along Hatsu-Karijo Street, which runs parallel to the alley and extends from the old castle gate, and the riparian environment of the Shinkashi River around the perimeter of the city. While we notice a decrease in human interaction with natural ecosystems, reduction and fragmentation of biological habitats, loss of biodiversity. 
Things You can Learn from the Workshop:. Diversity and Design¿Japanese Historical Townhouse and City¿Urban Community and Commons¿Salon and Hanamachi Culture¿Vitality and Dynamics of Natural Ecosystem¿Spatial and System Design which inherits and develops above matters 
Method:  collaborative classes and mixed teams

dal Gennaio 2022 a Febbraio 2022