We are Studiolab, an architecture laboratory in Keio University directed by Jorge Almazan. We analyze actual problems happening in specific social environments with the aim of not only understanding or describing problematic social conditions but more importantly with the goal of improving or changing them. Our research method applies action research theory to architectural design: We design and build real architectural projects and urban interventions in real communities.
What I miss is the time-domaine possibilities, this kind of data could show the pulse of the city over the day and the week (maybe season). Social media use patterns would probably not be stable over months and years though.
The Madrid images at the beginning are interesting, helping to see activity-important roads in contrast to the "dead" road to the east. Just looking at the physical layer, this important difference isn't obvious. A city is its activity, in some sense.
Btw, I also teach a “World Heritage Asia” course in which the very question Professor Almazán addresses about the Western bias toward material preservation in the the World Heritage criteria is examined. In fact, when Japan finally joined the World Heritage treaty in the early 1990s, Japanese representatives questioned this bias and it became a topic of discussion. Study groups were formed and reports and recommendations written. Ultimately, some of the criteria to qualify sites for WHS consideration were indeed revised to correct this bias.
i’m a big fan of Emergent Tokyo. I teach a Tokyo seminar at Vanderbilt University and we just spent two weeks with this brilliant book. Students loved it! Teams of 2-3 students presented each chapter, including their own identification and analysis of an example of the chapter’s urban pattern not included among the case studies. The assignment worked great, mainly because of the form, content, and layout of the book. One interesting discovery by “Team Ankyo” was the existence of a subculture of “ankyologists” online who seek out and blog about little known ankyo streets. I am now planning a special month-long Maymester course for a small group of undergraduate students in Tokyo for spring 2025 structured around this book. I hope to connect up with Professor Almazán and his Studiolab to plan fieldwork projects for students.
Great video! The emergent areas that you described are definitely the parts of Tokyo that I remember most from my trip. Golden Gai in particular is a really memorable place.
